The Fragile
by Winguardian
Summary: A story of love, hope, fear, despair, wonderment and beauty. I hope. The Loonatics face in all new type of villain, who could truly pose a threat they've never faced before. Pretty emotionally-driven. Rated teen for safety. R&R please!
1. The Calm Before The Storm

This is my first full fledged fan fiction, and I've been devising the plot in my head for some six months now, and I finally have it all down. It will be long, and there will be many chapters. I'm going to (make myself) update twice a week. It will be an interesting journey, both for me as the writer and hopefully for you as the reader.

Also, keep in mind at all times that I am primarily an evil storywriter. D:

The Fragile

Chapter 1: The Calm Before The Storm

Lightning flashed across the cerulean twilight sky, east to west. It was now do or die.

The ongoing battle intensified with all the fury of a ravaged tiger. In the midst of the vacant intersection of Acmetropolis plaza , the Gunmen outnumbered the Loonatics 4 to 1, but the valiant critters prevailed under far worse odds in the past. With this knowledge, they intrepidly fought on.

Strategically, the gunmen broke into groups of four to surround each of the Loonatics, rendering each one of them individually helpless – in theory. Of course, the gunmen surrounding Lexi vastly underestimated the power of her brain blast, whose sheer force easily swept two of the perpetrators off their feet and into the wall 20 feet away. While the other two remained distracted by this unexpected showcase, Lexi swung around and roundhouse kicked the nearest man in the head, knocking him cold. The remaining villain ran off to "back up" the others. How heroic.

With Lexi free, however, the Loonatics were in a much more favorable position. Lexi was able to further use her brain blast to get rid of two of the four men surrounding Rev, who was previously ducking and dodging oncoming ammunition. The speedster was freed. Rev thusly initiated his Infinity maneuver, confusing the remaining two men into bumping into each other blindly. While on the ground, Rev whipped out one of Tech's 'precision hand-crafted alloy instruments' – in this case, a grappling hook used to bound two or more objects together – and subsequently tied up the criminals. Now, with two of the Loonatics free, they were practically unstoppable.

Lexi and Rev moved over to Rev, who was using brute strength to fend off the perpetrators, and generally not having much success.

"Slam, use the tornado maneuver!" Lexi cried, the falling rain muffling her voice.

"Ragagum okay," Slam acknowledged, and transformed into a raging twister in front of everyone's eyes. The four perpetrators on Slam's tail were now rendered helpless against the walls of the buildings surrounding the particular square.

Meanwhile, Duck was simply having a good time.

"Oh my, more crazy guys with weird guns! And there're more of them than there is of me! Oh, it looks like I've finally met my match. Hey, look, a quarter!" Duck quacked out of sight and onto the sidewalk across the street, bending down and triumphantly holding up a silver coin.

"It's a little known fact that we waterfowl have superb vision," Duck boasted as the confused men ran back towards him. "And some of us can also do this!" and with that, Duck vanished once again.

This time, he reappeared on a rooftop overlooking the ongoing conflict. "Hey, G.I. Joe wannabes! I bet all this fighting is making you a little famished. How about some eggs?!" Duck subsequently flung abot half a dozen plasmic eggs down upon the men below, streaking brilliant orange amidst the cold rain. Yells and screams were heard below as the burning flying objects came in contact with the perpetrators. Duck let out a "Woo hoo!" of success, and quacked back down.

"No need to thank me, subordinates, I was merely doing my duty as a WAHHH!" a plasma beam from one of the gunmen's weapons streaked across Duck's backside. Duck fell backwards into yet another gunman, who was one of the four battling Ace. At this time, Ace was defensively fending off his attackers with a combination of skillful sword fighting and laser blasts. Luckily, upon Duck's unexpected interference, the star-crossed gunman tripped and fell over, falling into one of his partners, eventually creating a domino effect. Ace took this opportunity to blast of the mens' weapons to disarm them, and rushed over to others to provide any aid that might be necessary.

"Guys, how are we doin'?"

"We all fought our guys off, except Tech, but he seems to be doing fine," Lexi responded, pointing behind Ace.

Tech merely sat on the pavement eating a sandwich, surrounded buy a protective and apparently impenetrable force field, presumably from some gadget he had earlier put together. The surrounding gunmen simply looked puzzled, trying to figure out a way to encroach the barrier, all the while oblivious to the fact that their other men were down and the other Loonatics were free.

"Get 'em, guys," Ace commanded, and the five stormed over to disarm and capture the remaining perpetrators.

And with that, the Loonatics had once again marked another victory for the record books.

"Terminate simulation," Tech spoke firmly, and the entire setting, from the falling rain to the pestilent sewer grates, all vanished away to reveal the walls of the HQ Training Room.

"I gotta hand it to you once again, Tech," Ace started, "these simulations get more and more enticin' each time, not to mention realistic!"

"Too realistic," Duck glowered, smoke still billowing from the tip of his tail.

"Thanks, chief. But there are still some flaws. I really have to adjust the AI of those villains, I really doubt they'd be that dim in an actual conflict," said Tech.

"And I doubt you'd just be able to use one of your thingamajigs to sit around and eat a sandwich, either," Duck responded, rubbing his tail.

"Well, I know that, but I really needed to test out the Insta-Shield 8XE. Looks like it works," the coyote grinned.

"Well, that was fun, guys, but they're having a sale on ankle warmers down at the mall, and I've been trying to go for a more retro style lately," Lexi said, getting up to leave.

"You're not a stereotypical mallrat at all, Lex," Ace chuckled.

"Oh, don't worry, Ace," Lexi replied smugly, "on the way home I'll be sure to go to the record store to buy some death metal albums, and then I'll go to Cavender's to buy some… ugh, carpenter pants." Lexi shuddered.

"Now there ya go, always proving me wrong," Ace jested. "But that's not a bad idea. We've been cooped up in HQ for a while now. Maybe we should all go out."

"No kidding I'm getting kind of restless here myself I mean we haven't had a mission in four months! I mean it's not like we had a mission every _day_before this but now it's just getting kind of ridiculous!" Rev interjected.

"Yeah, it _is_ sort of weird how we haven't had any problems in such a long time," Lexi pondered.

"Well, ya can't say a reduction in crime – er, rather, loonies trying to take over da world – is a bad thing," said Ace.

"I suppose not," Tech agreed, though seemed somewhat concerned.

"Anyway, I'm out. Later guys," Lexi waved and departed.

"Raggrruughh buffet." Slam smacked his lips and left Headquarters so fast he might have been mistaken for a giant purple version of Rev.

"Well, I think I'm going to see a show. I dunno what, but I just feel like seein' something. Wanna come with, Duck?" Ace inquired.

"Sure," Duck said, still disgruntled over his injury, "just let me change into something that's not charred to ashes."

"Will do, I'll be waitin' outside."

And with that, the two departed, leaving Tech and Rev alone.

"Hey Tech are you actually gonna go somewhere or are you just going to go back to the lab?"

"The latter, you know me too well. You?"

"Oh well-" Rev's face went red, "I'm probably just going to go see Shannon again you know nothing big." Rev grinned bashfully.

Tech chuckled. "You really like this girl, don't you?"

"I suppose I do yeah I'll tell you what too this lull we've been having here has been great for me! I've known her for a while yeah but now that I've been able to do something other than save the city I've been able to get to know her a lot more and yeah I guess I would like her to be my girlfriend oops I think I'm going too far." Rev stopped abruptly.

Tech chucked once again. "Then ask her out! She won't kill you."

"Oh I know I should Tech but oh when I'm around her I just get all nervous and I'm just afraid she'll say no and she'll think I'm a loser and –"

Tech clamped Rev's beak shut. "Rev, seriously, get a hold of yourself. You can face incalculable amounts of super villains without a tread of fear, yet you can't ask a girl out?"

"Heh well I'd take dodging lasers and swords over humiliating rejection."

Tech put a hand on Rev's shoulder. "Look, she's not going to reject you. You get along really well, right? And besides, what's to reject? You're a really sweet guy who would give the shirt off your own back, you're always loyal to your friends, and above all, you're just a cheerful person to be around."

"Heh heh kind of sounds like you want to ask me out Tech," Rev jested. "Okay fine I'll do it. Tonight even!"

"Sounds like a plan," Tech said smiling, "well, good luck to you, I'm off."

"You know, Tech," Rev interrupted, "a little relationship wouldn't be the worst thing for you either."

"I told you," Tech sighed, "it's just not for me. The only girl I've ever gone out with ended up being a short, evil, bloated-headed super villain who has tried to kill me more than once."

"Pfft don't let one bad breakup get you down."

"That wasn't merely a 'bad breakup', Rev. And I just don't feel I could connect with someone that intimately. Science is my girlfriend."

Rev rolled his eyes, as he had heard that line more than once. "Well whatever my assertion still stands and I think you'll reconsider your position some day."

"We'll see," said Tech dully.

"Well okay I'm off I'm really going to do it Tech oh man am I nervous but if you really think it will go well I have no reason not to do it!"

"It_will_ go well. Now just go get her."

"Will do and man it'd be nice to have a good relationship after this I mean especially if the lull continues and just what is causing the sudden halt of super evil activity anyway?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's just dumb luck," and all at once, Tech looked concerned once again.

"Well I don't know but I hope it continues okay I'm really leaving now see ya!" and the speedster ran off.

'What_is_ causing this lull?' Tech idly wondered, once again.

The answer to his question resided in a hangar twelve blocks from Headquarters.

I created a fictional love interest for Rev! I am already breaking one of my own rules.


	2. Brothers

The Fragile

Chapter 2: Brothers

2358 Acacia Avenue. The address wasn't exactly revered for its outstanding beauty. There stood, rather, a gray metallic warehouse that seemed to expand for miles; it was ultimately an eyesore. Many figured that the large expanse was rented out for storage purposes (which it was), but no one ever knew just what was stored within the rusted walls – and no one sought to find out. Not out of fear, but merely due to the fact that it was commonly regarded that nothing interesting could ever coexist with such a drab establishment.

It was for this reason that Dan and Vincent Cavanagh chose this as the perfect location to initiate their plans.

The atmosphere inside of the building was certainly nothing to write home about, either. Indeed, the hangar matched its external dourness with its internal despondency. One could not long for more than five minutes without becoming depressed in its desolation. Of course, it was not the space itself that was worth noting – it was how the Cavanagh brothers had spruced it up.

Up against the left wall stood a massive technological work desk that would have impressed even the likes of Tech E. Coyote. A dozen or so monitors all connected to one massive motherboard, from which protruded an excess of antennae and satellite dishes. One of the aforementioned brothers, Dan, a man of about thirty-two whom was best physically characterized by his long curly hair, seemed to be observing three of the monitor screens. On the opposite wall stood a great, translucent, green-glowing prism. Inside said prism stood or sat around 20 eclectically malevolent looking individuals. Three of these included the notorious super villains Mastermind, Sypher and Weathervane.

In between the two unusual sights stood what seemed to be a portable living space, complete with a kitchen, a living room and two beds. The second brother, Vincent, stood outside it, sipping a cup of coffee, trying hard to ignore the usual protests emanating from inside the prism.

"Man, who do you think ya'll are anyway?! What's the deal with just keeping us all locked up in this cell, what are you tryin' to do?!" Cypher called from inside, not for the first time.

"Please shut up," Vincent sighed, pushing his long, black hair out of his eyes, "I've explained the operation to you a thousand times over."

"I will have to dissent from that, Vinny", Mastermind chirped up, "you've merely told us bits and pieces of your so-called 'Master Plan', but have failed to explain to us the ultimate goal."

Vincent sighed once again. "Fine, it's not like I have anything else to do right now. If I tell you the entire plan in full, will you all promise to just keep it down? Especially from two til' four – that's when my soaps are on."

"Yes, yes, yes, we'll keep it down, just tell us what's going on!" Weathervane hastily replied.

"Now, now, there's no need for that kind of tone, Miss Sunshine," Vincent smirked, "nonetheless, I will now divulge the entire operation with you.

"Two years ago, our father died. You have probably heard of him – James Cavanagh, the world's most notorious human rights activist. Every waking moment of his life was devoted to the sanctity, security and peace of the human race. He made great strides throughout his lifetime, which, of course, included helping to establish world-wide zero-tolerance policies against all types of lawful human discrimination based on factors such as race, sexual orientation, gender, oh, the list goes on. The world has, indeed, been a much better place since he has set foot on it. Unfortunately, he didn't succeed completely. There still remains one imminent threat to humanity."

"And what exactly was that, again?" Mastermind interrupted.

"Well, several centuries ago, humans had no need to be threatened by the animals, the beasts. They were feral, and our intellect was vastly superior to theirs – we had control. As I'm sure you all know now, however, the anthropomorphic population is now on the rise. It started out as a harmless experiment back in the 22nd century, the creation of the anthromorph, with a half man, half wolf. But it is quite amazing what one simple little experiment can do. One thing led to another, and scientists everywhere started recreating this 'experiment', and boom, you had anthromorphs of all species. Well, of course, they started breeding, and all of the sudden you had populations of them. Of course they were at first considered freaks, but they eventually became integrated into our society, and here we are today.

"This, however, cannot stand. All of the sudden the beast is no longer subordinate – it is our competitor. These hybrids take jobs from what was once rightfully purely human jobs, commit the same crimes man does, and competes for the same resources and goods as we do. All of this adds up to more unnecessary crimes, more jobs unnecessarily taken away from us, and less goods and resources available to us. Like it or not, they are a _severe_ threat to our well-being, a threat that had never existed before. I do not call, of course, for the elimination of them – merely the separation. Society is a human-built concept, and it shall remain that way. We must, however, set a firm example."

"Okay, okay, but what does this have to do with us?" Cypher questioned.

"All of you, as you've figured out by now, have tried to take over the city, rob a bank, or something to that extent. All of you have unusual powers. And all of you, eventually, would have had to answer to Acmetropolis' oh-so-adorned super-hero team, the Loonatics.

"Now, you'll have to thank my brother Dan for your capture," Vincent waved in Dan's direction, where he was now turned from his work desk and listening to his brother's soliloquy. "He's quite a technological genius, you know. He built that operating system you see there all by himself – and what a system it is! It monitors every single citizen of Acmetropolis at all times, through a spreadsheet telling us their name, their occupation, and what exactly they're doing. It's not exactly a 'spy' program, as we only care if someone is up to no good. _If_ someone is up to no good, an alarm will ring next to their name and the nearest available camera will pop up on one of the monitors revealing the potential criminal. Really, the police deputy would _love_ to have an instrument like this, but, ah, we figured we'd do what we want with it before we sell it to them."

"Why don't you let your brother talk about his machine? After all, he invented it, not you," a burly looking man commented.

"Yes, I've never seen him talk much at all," Mastermind added, "what's the matter, cat got his tongue?"

"So sensitive of you to ask, Mastermind. I suppose you could say that the 'cat got his tongue' at birth. He's a mute, and always has been. However, he's taken this disability and used it to his advantage. He's had more time to study in the field of technology rather than fraternizing with his social subordinates. And look where it's gotten him," Vincent motioned once again to the work desk.

"Anyhow, this machine has another neat little feature - _Teleportation. _Yes, we have the ability to transport any of those 'wrongdoers' directly from where they once stood to our lab situated here. That's how you all got here. You lot were easy to pick out, of course. Really, if you want to hide the fact that you are some sort of super villain plotting to take over the world, you should dress less eccentrically."

"Again, we're all here, why?" Weathervane interrupted impatiently.

"Ah, well, I had a couple of reasons for your capture. One, your type _always_ fails when faced with the Loonatics. Seriously, not one success story, anywhere! You're simply an embarrassment, and you put those super freaks atop an unneeded pedestal of glory. Haven't you learned by now that brute force won't work against them?!" Vincent took a breath to calm himself down.

"Two, you're all a vital part of the plan. When the time is right, you all will strike."

"And what gives you the audacity to believe that _we'd_ work for _you?!" _Mastermind interjected.

"Because I could turn you all into the police, right here, right now. You're all wanted, you know. If you do as the plan says, you can make a quick extermination of the Loonatics from Acmetropolis, and I'd let you off quietly, turning the other cheek."

"Ah yes, blackmail. Well done, Mr. Cavanagh," Mastermind sighed.

"When does the 'right time' come, anyway?" Cypher inquired.

"Oh yes, that's where my part comes in. Well, one ability humans have always had over the animals was the ability to have and to deal with complex emotions. And I believe this advantage still exists. You see, the human race has been around far longer than the anthromorphs, and thus, they haven't had as much time to adapt to controlling instinct, like we can. Complex emotions are still a relatively new concept to the race. This is why I believe that if we play with the Loonatics' _emotions_, their reign over Acmetropolis will crumble. They won't be able to cope like humans could.

"You see, the key is to attack the Loonatics not outright physically, as I'm sure you all would have done, but _emotionally_, somehow. In that respect, they are the fragile, and will lose their biggest strength – unity as a team. With this strength lost, they'll be more susceptible, and _that_, my friends, is the right time to strike. And with _all of you_ on their tails, they'll surely be no match."

"Nice," Mallory admitted, "and who will be, for lack of a better phrase 'tugging at their heartstrings' in this instance?"

Vincent smiled. "Leave that to me."


	3. A Modest Proposal

_Chapter 3 - ness. This will be a stark contrast the the gravity of the second chapter. Also, Rev fans will probably like this chapter. I hope. It's uncharacteristic of me to write something so bubbly, but hey, nothing wrong with change._

The Fragile

Chapter 3: A Modest Proposal

Elsewhere, one jittery roadrunner was getting ready to ask one of the most nerve-racking questions of his life.

Rev had chosen his and Shannon's meeting place at the Acmetroplex, which was, though a prominent favorite to many, Rev's hangout spot of choice. An uncompromisingly energetic yet relaxing vibe flowed throughout the proximity. Basically, it was just a fun place to be. And why not? It had all of the components that would equate to a good time - a massive food court serving every variety of dishes imaginable, a virtual reality court which allowed a patron to live out any conceivable scenario of their choosing, an arcade which combined recent, high-tech games along with the old classics. And, of course, it had the timeless forms of fun – a go-kart center and a mini-golf course.

As was routine, Rev and Shannon were to be found in the cheerily lit arcade center. After some deliberation, and with a lot of persuasive speaking on Rev's part, they decided to have at a round of Air Hockey. It was one of Rev's favorites (whether he had an opponent or not).

"Okay, speedy, but remember, _please_ play at a non-abnormal speed," Shannon emphasized, smiling.

"Oh sure that's no problem I can go slower heck I can be really slow… like… this… see? No… problem! Heheheh…" Rev chirped.

"You're quite the smooth talker, Rev," Shannon giggled, setting up the table to play. Shannon, perhaps unsurprisingly, was also a roadrunner, though with green plumage as opposed to Rev's natural blue. Also unlike Rev, she spoke normally, not having been genetically altered by a freak meteor landing. She had met Rev through his parents some six years prior. They had not always been good friends (rather, mere acquaintances), but during the last six months they had both grown closer. They simply had a good, relaxing time in each other's company.

Rev, however, didn't seem so relaxed.

"Ready?" inquired Shannon, getting ready to make the opening serve.

"I guess I am ready I mean why wouldn't I be ready I know this game like the back of my hand and… I… can… talk… slowly! So, I guess to answer your question… yes?"

"Thank you," said Shannon, rolling her eyes benevolently, and proceeded to strike the puck.

Rev took a stance that would suggest an epic return, but instead spastically flinched his mallet towards the puck and missed it completely.

"Wow," said Shannon, "I just told you to slow down a little. I didn't say you had to suck."

"Oh heh heh that? Oh that was just a fluke I'm uh practicing my arm motions you know but this time I'm really going to get it… while… I talk… slowly! Dammit..."

Shannon laughed. "I don't have an issue with you talking fast, Rev. Just don't go all rapid fire on me during this round. And don't suck."

"Got it! My serve," Rev replied, making a motion to strike the puck. When he did, however, he slammed it into the wall of the table so violently that it flew completely off the table and struck an unfortunate by-stander in the face.

"Whoa! Don't go killing anyone either," Shannon exclaimed, rushing over to the star-crossed patron to make sure he didn't sustain any injuries that required medical attention.

Meanwhile, Rev was kind of hoping that someone would knock _him_ out. '_Oh man oh man this is horrible horrible HORRIBLE!' _ Rev thought frantically, _'I'm practically leaving a trail of destruction here!' _ After a few moments, Shannon returned the table.

"Well, it's nothing serious, and bumps like that usually go away after a few days."

"Hey Shannon I don't think this is working out how about we go to the food court my treat?"

"Heh, okay. I think that'd actually be good for everyone," Shannon added, moving to follow Rev.

It was not a very long walk, as the arcade was connected directly to the cafeteria. The court in question was about half full – populated enough to avoid awkward quietness yet sparse enough to not have to wait copious and pivotal minutes for food.

"So what could I do you for madam?" inquired Rev with a pseudo-charming smile.

"Hmm, I could really go for some sushi," answered Rev, gesturing towards the Japanese bar.

"Yech I don't know how you can eat that stuff I don't know maybe it's just me but raw fish makes me gag not that I am questioning your tastes or anything I'm sure you have lovely tastes so sushi it is I mean I was going to get whatever you wanted anyway but if sushi is what you want then sushi is what you're gonna get!" Rev's face went red.

"Right… well, the line starts right there."

"I'm already there pick a good seat back in a flash!" And with the help of super speed, Rev _was_ already there. He realized that he was now making blunder after blunder, and he used his time in the line to calm himself down.

If only.

"Next customer, please?"

"Yeah I'll take a um er plate of sushi I think that red stuff over there is the kind she likes yeah see I'm really trying to impress her tonight and I don't want to screw anything up more than I already have so I really don't want to pick the wrong kind here. Oh no wait I was wrong it was that kind with the green circle in the middle that she likes yeah I see her eating that a lot when I'm at her place oh and maybe just some noodles for me oh man I don't want to look like a pig now!"

"Erm, what?"

"The Makizushi and a side of noodles," the dejected roadrunner replied hopelessly.

The exchange was made, and Rev walked slowly over to the table in which Shannon has chosen to retain what was left of his dignity.

"Ooh, the Makizushi? This is good, not quite as good as the Nigiri, but still yummy," Shannon commented.

Rev looked positively demoralized.

"Oh, wait, this stuff is _perfect_ with chili sauce. I'm sorry, could you go get some from me really quick?" Shannon requested.

The lights turned back on in Rev's eyes. "Oh sure no problem coming right up," and, ill advisedly, rushed over to the sushi bar, knocking over another unfortunate patron in the process.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry sir I really really didn't mean to oh yes hi can I get a bowl of chili sauce that'd be great," the flustered speedster spoke.

The server, casting Rev a rather odd look, handed over the bowl and turned away without a word.

"Erm, thank you," Rev chirped, and rushed frantically back to the table.

Unfortunately for the luckless roadrunner, the customer in whom he had knocked over was still situated on the floor, just now getting up. Given Rev's frenzied state, however, he did not notice this. Instead, he tripped over the fallen patron, and with his insurmountable speed, flew a good thirty or so feet as a result. To make matters worse, Rev's untimely target this time was Shannon. Rather inevitably, the chili bowl flew from Rev's arms straight into Shannon's shirt.

Shannon let out a gasp of surprise, and Rev's entire posture simply gave.

"What a fabulous night," Rev said morosely, rising from the floor very slowly. "I guess I'll just go home then."

Shannon, however, simply stared into Rev eyes for what seemed like hours. Then, abruptly, she burst out in laugher.

Rev was initially confused by her uproar, but eventually a smile cracked his face too, and he, himself, started giggling at his own catastrophe.

Well, that is, until he saw Duck and Ace walk by.

"Duck! Ace!" Rev cried, panic-stricken, "what are you doing here?!"

"The movie sucked, we walked out, decided to come here instead," Duck replied, now looking at Rev and Shannon's chili sauce-smeared table. "And what happened here?!"

"Rev spilled some chili," answered Shannon, still laughing.

"Ouch," Ace added, looking concerned.

"Not so chivalrous with the ladies, are we, Rev? Well, I suppose that's what a feller gets for rejecting dating advice from Mr. Suave himself," Duck said smugly, pointing his thumb at his chest.

Shannon shot up. "Excuse me, Mr. McCool, but you weren't here to see what really happened!" Shannon took Rev's free hand, much to his surprise. "You see, there was this man, who was this total sleaze ball. He came up to me while Rev was getting our food, and he started making these 'hints' of 'getting it on' in the men's bathroom. Well, I was appalled, of course, but luckily Rev came back just in time. Didn't you, honey?"

"Er-"

"So anyway, Rev just tells him to back off. Like, really defiantly. It was surprising, but I knew he had it in him. Anyway, it looked like it was going to work for a while, but then the guy takes a swing at Rev, and he got him right in the cheek. That's why his face is all red. Well, Rev falls back, and he spills the bowl of chili sauce," Shannon noted the chili stains on her shirt, "But then Rev just starts running incredibly fast circles around this guy. I didn't know why, at first, but the guy eventually got so dizzy he collapsed! Rev held him down and called security over, without making any more of a scene. It was absolutely perfect." Shannon gave Rev a kiss on the cheek. Rev's already inflamed face turned even rosier.

"Wow, nice one, Rev," Ace complimented, giving Rev a pat on the shoulder.

Duck simply let out a irritable "humph".

"Um, thanks Ace! Uh, I guess I'll see you back at HQ."

"Sure thing, Doc," and Ace and Duck walked off.

Rev and Shannon were once again alone. "Wow," Rev started awkwardly, "thanks for that. You didn't have to do that, you know."

"Believe me, it was my please. And by the way," Shannon leaned in closer, "the answer is 'yes'."

"Wha-?"

"Oh, please, Rev. You've been on the edge all night! If I didn't stop you now, you'd probably destroy the entire premise in 20 minutes! You _like _me," Shannon winked.

"Erm, I do? I mean you know I do? I mean whoo this is awkward yes I do like you I'm sorry if that ruins everything or mmph"

Rev's beak was shut by Shannon's hand. "It's fine, Rev! Because, well, I kind of like you too."

Rev, especially after the disaster that was this night, had never expected this. "So, so, you mean –"

"Yes," Shannon repeated, "I'll go out with you. And not just because I'm afraid of you injuring any more customers."

Rev instantly transformed from being the most depressed sentient being on the planet to the most jubilant.

"I got to get you something to mark this moment!" Rev chirped up immediately.

"Heh, no, you don't, it's –"

"Oh yes I do come on!" And with that, Rev swept Shannon off her feet and dragged her back over to the arcade room and in front of the notorious claw machine, in which users could control a claw to select a prize.

"Take your pick," said Rev, gesturing the prize bin.

"Um, maybe that teddy bear over there, that's pretty cute," Shannon answered, giggling.

"You got it!" Rev inserted change into the machine, and went to handle the claw. "Aw man I forgot how much I sucked at this," Rev added, struggling to make the claw move where he pleased.

"Rev, really, you don't have to –"

"Oh I will," Rev shot back stubbornly, aiming at the selected teddy bear. As soon as the claw dangled directly above the prize, he clamped the claw closed, believing he had achieved his goal. However, as the clamp ascended once again, he saw that he had merely selected a rather shoddy looking bracelet. The claw dropped it into the retrieving bin, and that was that.

"Well this is no good I'll give it another go," said Rev, motioning to put in more change, but Shannon stopped him.

"No, actually, this is nice." Shannon took the bracelet and situated it on her wrist. "It will certainly make me remember tonight."

"Well if you're happy then I'm happy," said Rev, taking Shannon's hand.

"And I'm happy," said Shannon, granting Rev another peck on the cheek.


	4. The Changing of Times

_This took me a while to post, sorry, had a busy week. But it's here now. The chapters will be a wee bit shorter if I can help it from here on out, which will make it an easier read. Remember, comments and reviews are realllyyyyy (hint hint) appreciated. Thanks! _

The Fragile

Chapter 4: The Changing of Times

Acmetropolis was cursed with such a brooding atmosphere. By some strange cosmic misfortune, the city planet was never blessed with the delicacy of direct sunlight. Thus, the planet was transfixed in a state of everlasting twilight. Such a gloomy atmosphere did effect the general mood of the public, but only somewhat. For even the darkest depths of the universe could not prevent light from shedding upon the glory of personal triumphs. And tonight, Rev was glowing brighter than a thousand suns.

Rev reluctantly ended his evening with Shannon at the ghostly hour of 2 am, in which made his was back to Headquarters with an extra spring in his step. Unsurprisingly, he found the main living space to be deserted. Still, he was slightly disappointed at this sight – he had to tell _someone_ about his night. But if Father Tim did not allow for it, he supposed he would wait until morning.

That is, until he heard a clatter emanating from the laboratory.

"Tech!" Rev chirped, and sprinted over to Tech's lab in a time that could have very well been calculated in negative nanoseconds.

Tech usually would have taken notice to Rev's (rather common) entrances, if nothing else, for the sudden gust of wind generated by his speed. However, Tech was particularly exhausted at this time, monotonously tweaking this and wiring that in a zombie like state. It was quite obvious that Tech had been at… whatever he was doing… for several hours. Rev was quick to notice.

"Jeez Tech I think you've done enough just put that wrench down and go to bed but not before you hear about my night!"

Tech, unaware of Rev's presence, recoiled with a strange 'Yipe!", jumping in the air and dropping any tool he had in his hand.

"Ohmygosh Tech sorry I didn't want to scare you like-"

"Rev!" Tech interrupted, still recovering from the surprise, "how many times have I told you to-"

"Enter quietly and calmly I know sorry I forgot because tonight was amazing!"

Rev bounced from left foot to right foot, holding his hands together anxiously, glaring at Tech with wide and imploring eyes. Yes, he was simply begging Tech to ask how it all went. Tech may have never been the best at deciphering looks, not exactly being a "people" person, but this look was unmistakable.

Tech sighed. "So it went well?"

"Yeah it did everything was perfect I was able to suck in all my nervousness and ask without a trace of fear and I – eh heh heh."

Tech raised an eyebrow.

"OK so yeah I was a disaster but she caught on to my charade and kind of agreed to going out before I even asked her which when you think about it is kind of better right because I can make a complete ass out of myself and she still likes me oh man this is great and she is great!"

Although Rev's long-winded run-on sentences would have been perplexing to many, Tech was among the select few who could successfully decipher almost anything Rev said.

"Well, that's great!" Tech exclaimed, "I told you it'd be no problem."

"Well it wasn't _no_ problem but in the end there weren't any problems! Oh man this is great imagine how much more time I can spend with her now instead of being cooped up in this place all the time."

"Oh," Tech said, his cheerful demeanor diminishing, "yeah."

"What?"

"No, no, that's great. So, ahem, got a date planned or something?"

"Yeah we're probably going to go out this Saturday we're not sure where but we always figure it out. You know Tech it really really _really_ wouldn't be the worst thing for you to try to get in touch with the whole dating scene yourself."

Tech sigh frustratingly. "Rev, please, not again –"

"Well I'm sorry but when I came in here you were a total zombie I mean you didn't even hear me come in because you were so zonked! I really don't think being cooped up in this lab is the best thing for you."

"Look, Rev. I've tried it before, as you very well know, and it simply didn't work at all. It took me _months_ to get over what happened. I'm not going through that again."

"Oh so now you're scared because of one little super villainess?"

"Yes, Rev! I am. It's just not worth the effort for me. It's much more productive overall if I just settle down and work to my strengths, which are right here in this lab. Relationships are nothing but a waste of time for me."

"Oh so I'm just wasting my time in this relationship is that how you see it?"

"You're jumping to rash conclusions. It's a waste of time for _me_. It may not be for you. You have to realize that some of us just aren't meant to socialize."

"Well maybe some of us just thought everyone had the capability of changing. I'm sorry for thinking that. I'm going to bed."

With that final note, Rev left the room significantly more slowly than he had entered it, the blazing light of his mood now dimmed. Tech merely sighed, looked back at the machinery he was previously working with, and turned away. He was in no mood to work now.

He couldn't lie to himself – he was not completely happy with Rev's new relationship. For he was right, in a way – working endlessly in a solitary lab could be very dreary. Rev was the only member of the team who ever stepped in to help him, or even visit him. And with him gone, more, that would, by the transitive property, mean fewer visits. Oh well, his work would be drearier now, is all. He could probably handle that.

Tech began to ponder over his less-than-ceremonious first time of meeting Rev. It had been before the meteor struck, back when he attended the Acme Institute. Those were dark times. All at once, the scene played back in his head, as if on a projector screen replaying the fragments of his memories.


	5. Foreshadowed

_5th chapter is up. The foreshadowed flashback. Again, reviews are very appreciated!_

The Fragile

Chapter 5: Foreshadowed

_Tech had his hopes and aspirations set on the Acme Institute since he was a mere boy of four. He saw it as somewhat of a haven a light, where the tree of knowledge truly grows. 'It would just suit me,' he always thought, and subsequently spent all of his youth and teen years preparing for the school. He was Jude Fawley, and the Acme Institute was Christminster. However, much as Jude discovered with Christminster, the Acme Institute was not all it was made out to be. Granted, it did provide seemingly infinite opportunities for its pupils, but cruel and unrelenting classmates hindered anything he could get out of the college. The college, sadly, was comprised dominantly by the sons of wealthy philanthropists, not actually interesting in learning. A select few__**did**__ build themselves up in the pursuit of knowledge, including Tech, but they were a minority. And Tech in particular was strikingly alone – he was a coyote. _

_Advanced Technological Engineering (more commonly referred to as ATE) was the worst for Tech, even though it was his strongest subject. However, the fact that he did excel was the very factor that made his time in that class so miserable. One would be hard-pressed to believe that species discrimination still occurred on such an obscene level in the 28__th__ century, but Tech's ATE classmates, and even his professor, were a clear indication of it. Any achievements or successes Tech made in the course were always overshadowed by the fact that he, well, wasn't human._

_The end of the semester was approaching, and Tech had long given up attempting to associate with his classmates in any way. This did little to quell their need to abuse, though – in fact, the intensity of their jeering only seemed to heighten with each passing day. This particularly day they appeared to be relentless. He just wanted to work on his projects (i.e. – inventions) alone in peace, but was inevitably interrupted._

_"Hey, muzzle-butt", said a ginger, scrawny boy, addressing Tech. ('Muzzle-butt' was not a term they particularly used with him all the time – they seemed to come up with some new alias every time they addressed him. This resulted in many of those names being quite lame.)_

_Tech sighed. "What do you want?"_

"_What do I want? Touché, my fuzzy friend. Haven't I always made it clear that all I could ever want is the joy of your company?"_

_"Whatever." Tech never made an attempt to be friendly towards any of these wretched souls, but he seemed equally unable to match them in a battle of 'wits'. He longed to get the better of them, but he never mustered up the strength to do so._

_"Aw, looks like someone's still a little upset about having to turn in his nut-job freak of a girlfriend. And after four months, too. Wow, she must have put out a __**lot.**__Ew!"_

_ Tech could only growl under his breath. It always came down to immature jeering, didn't it?_

_"Ooh, that's a nasty growl. If I were a roadrunner, I'd certainly be on my toes." He snickered. _

_"Oh, come on, Nigel, quit roughing him up so much," interrupted a far more distinguished looking (but no less cruel) student in thick-rimmed glasses. "What happened with him was serious business. I mean, look at him. He'll probably never get laid again in his life."_

_Tech had an irresistible urge either to go feral and savagely attack them all, or simply to disappear. He knew he could not or would not do either. In a state of frenzied frustration, he pounded the table with his fist. At least, he meant to. Instead, he pounded the motherboard of one of the laptops sitting atop his desk, powering and controlling the programming for a greater piece of machinery that sat beyond the desk. The sudden destruction of the laptop generated a surge of unyielding power through the system, shorting all of the other laptops. Thus, the machinery lost all of its power quite suddenly, and as a result it short-circuited and imploded in a great puff of smoke, leaving behind a great pile of wires, bolts, shrapnel and dust. _

_"Haha, oh wow," the ginger boy said with gleeful astonishment, "have a bit of a short fuse there, don't we, dogbreath?"_

_"I suppose this is why they don't normally allow animals near expensive equipment," the distinguished looking student added. "Tisk, we are much too tolerant nowadays."_

_Tech did not bother to retort. Everyday, he told himself that he wouldn't give them any new material to work with, no reason to laugh at him. But he did. Yet again. Every damn day, he did something to make him a target. He couldn't help thinking that he was hopelessly inept at any type of socialization. _

_Tech drowned out his classmates' further comments. He did not have the patience to listen anymore. Unfortunately, once his superior noticed, he could not tune the professor's comments out._

_"Tech, sometimes it perplexes me how you ever got into the institute," said the professor, looking very severe. "All you ever seem to do around here is make a mess of things. And whose parts do you destroy? Mine! I swear, I have to talk to the board to convince them they need to raise your tuition, just to pay for all those garbage. Just – just clean it up. Then, please, for the sake of this course's integrity, go home." The professor then muttered under his breath, "this is what happens when you let beast interfere with man's work." The professor spoke up again. "You know what, you're all dismissed early. Get a jump-start on your weekend. Tech, clean."_

_Tech's classmates gathered up their things to go out for the day. "Sorry, Tech," a third instigator spoke, "we were going to invite you to have coffee with us, we really were, but, whoops! Looks like you can't make it!" He laughed._

_"I don't know if they would have let you in anyway, though," the ginger boy added, "they have a strict no pets allowed policy." _

_And, much to Tech's relief, they were gone. Tech, if nothing else, was finally in peace by himself. _

_While hastily throwing various (destroyed) objects into the nearest garbage bin, he contemplated quitting the class and dropping out all together. He knew he had potential, and the intelligence and know-how to carry out said potential, but this really was not the right atmosphere for such dreams. His brilliance was constantly overshadowed by his social handicap, very much brought on by the fact that he was a coyote. Why did that have to matter? He was physically capable of doing everything a human could – more even. Perhaps they were just jealous? Whatever the reason for the abuse, it was excruciating._

_Tech's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the entrance door. He figured some student had forgotten his books, or something. Either way, he figured it was best to open it. He did so, but beyond the door student someone who was certainly not a student. He had a delivery boy's garb, carrying a bag of food. He also happened to be a roadrunner, with blue, smooth feathers and a slick-backed topknot. _

_"Um, hi," Tech said reluctantly._

_The roadrunner looked up at Tech, and was slightly taken aback at his appearance, probably in the fact the he was a coyote. Nevertheless, he retained a mostly professional manner._

_"Hi, did I get an order from this address, room number 3871?"_

_Tech shook his head. "No, this is room number 3817. The room you want is a couple of halls down, I think."_

_The roadrunner looked embarrassed. He checked the number of the door again. "So I see. Well, sorry for the interruption." Rev went to leave, quietly murmuring, "third address in a row I messed up."_

_Tech heard. "Join the club," he said, "today's not exactly my day either."_

_The roadrunner turned around. "Well, look at your, you go to this great school, your future's set out."_

_The coyote scoffed. "I am getting nothing out of this place. All I do hear is play the role of the freak 'dog thing'. I'm never actually taken seriously. Well, maybe you know how it is."_

_Rev smiled slightly. "Maybe, but I think I bring most of everything on myself. You know, I actually applied to this school."_

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah, but they didn't accept me. My grades weren't high enough. I guess I shouldn't have spent so much time working with all of my little gadgets. I've never been very good at inventing, anyway."_

_"Well, hey, at least you make an attempt to invent things. That makes you better than at least 75 of everyone who goes here." _

_"Well, thanks, but the point is I don't go here. But by how you describe this place, maybe that's fine."_

_"Yeah." Tech scratched at the back of his ears. The conversation was getting too quiet. "Well, maybe things will change for us soon."_

_"Yeah, I guess you never know what can happen!"_

_"I'm not saying like a big cosmic miracle will fall out of the sky, or anything," Tech added, "but, well, you know."_

_"Yeah, anything could happen."_

_"What's your name?" Tech inquired. _

_"Oh, I'm Rev. Rev Runner. My father owns Runner enterprises."_

_"Ah, yes, I recognize Runner. Rev, huh? Unusual name."_

_"And what's your name?"_

_"Tech."_

_"Oh, yeah, my name's unusual," Rev smiled, "fitting though."_

_"Heh, I suppose so."_

_"Oh, what am I doing? I'm on the clock! I've been really far behind today as it is, and Cookie will have my neck if I'm any later. Hey, maybe I'll see you later, but I gotta go right now."_

_"Alright. Yeah, see you later." But before Tech could finish his sentence, the roadrunner, Rev, was gone. "Wow," Tech said, "if he went any faster he'd be unbelievable."_

_He turned back towards the room and saw his professor standing right before him._

_"And who was that?"_

_"Oh," said Tech, scratching his head, "just some delivery boy who go the wrong address."_

_"Well, no more interruptions, there's still at least 75 cubic feet of crap you need to clean."_

_"Yes sir," Tech replied obediently, and unceremoniously went back to work. Even though he was quite as alone as he was before, he no longer felt as hopeless as he had previous. _

Sighing,Tech put a halt to his recollections. It was quite late, as Rev had noted. He thusly followed suit and called it a night.


	6. A Darkness Coming

_6th chapter finally here. Sorry, I've caught a severe case of laziness. Ah, well. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed thus far, and here it is!_

The Fragile

Chapter 6: A Darkness Coming

Saturday eventually arrived after several more quiet days in a long span of peculiar inactivity. Initially, the lack of super villains or monstrous out-of-hand lab experiments was but a happy relief to the Loonatics. After all, they were not paid for their heroic duties, and the work was quite stressful, not to mention time-consuming. For them, a break simply posed the opportunity to get in touch with their personal lives, away from the havoc associated with epic crime fighting.

The feeling of alleviation, however, was beginning to wear thin. All six had an oppressive hunch that the enemy was beginning to stir after a long period of hibernation. And with such a prolonged amount of time for preparation, they suspected any imminent attack would be more powerful than ever before. They never voiced this common sentiment to each other, but the feeling haunted them all. They felt it lingering in the darkness, an unseen force bound to strike. The phantasmal presence seeped into their consciousness, making them quiver whenever their thoughts turned to the unknown and the unforeseen. Regardless, they shoved these feelings aside when they were together, and made an effort to interact as normally with each other as was possible.

Rev in particular was tucking away such fears and leaving them to be dealt with on another day. Today was the day of his first date with Shannon.

The scene in the living quarters of HQ could not be more typical, with Ace meditating, Tech lounging, Slam eating, Rev pacing nervously, Lexi on her cell phone and Duck admiring himself in the mirror. Duck momentarily snapped out of his state of self-adoration to glance upon Rev in the reflection of the mirror pacing rapidly and jittery, mumbling unintelligibly.

"Oh, poor, inexperienced Rev." Duck shook his head. "All worked up and biting his nails over one measly date. You know, buddy, as I must have said countless times before, all you had to do is come to me for tips in dealing with the, ahem, gentler sex, and you wouldn't have to worry about a thing.

"Yeah, because if no girl in their right mind would go near him, he wouldn't have a date to worry about in the first place!" Lexi interrupted.

"Excuse me, Miss Witty, I'll have you know that this duck's date dozens, nay, _hundreds_ of adoring fan girls in his time."

"Only because you can never hold a girlfriend for more than one date!" Lexi rebutted.

"Feh! I certainly can! The problem is that there are just so many ladies to go around. It's a curse, really."

"Oh, it's some kind of curse alright. Well, Duck, you're not doing anything tonight. If you really are so smooth, why don't you ask one of your 'ladies' out?"

"An excellent idea, my honorable hare. Turns out you're not so hopeless after all."

"Oh, there's a lot of hopelessness going on around here."

Duck pulled out a little black book and flipped through the flimsy pages. Many of the scribbled numbers within had strike-through lines, signifying a number in which Duck was never allowed to call again.

"Marisa was nice. We really could have hit it off, if she didn't always have to go to work. Imagine! Making a girl work on Sunday at 11 at night. Maybe I'll give her a ring." Duck punched in the numbers appropriately, and was greeted with a monotonous female voice stating that the number was no longer in service.

"Huh, that's odd… well, here's Jessica's number. Couldn't hurt." Duck lost some of his confidence, further diminished by yet another alert that the number was no longer serviced.

"What's going on here, some kind of outage? Meh, the reception is weird in this tower… heh heh." He flipped through the book again and dialed another number, only to be greeted an even more blunt message –

"We're sorry – your number has been blocked from the location you are trying to reach."

Duck's repeated failures finally attracted the attention of one Ace Bunny.

"I think Lexi may have undaestimated you, Duck," Ace began, "we all could have guessed that they'd block your numba after a while, but even I didn't predict that they'd change their numbas altogether".

Duck merely glared. "You're despicable," and with that he left the room to go out to one of his 'hangouts', in which the whereabouts still remained a mystery. In moments like these, Ace sometimes felt a pang of regret, as if he had gone too far with Duck. However, he knew that come morning every bit of his ego would be restored. Duck was predictably cyclical. But how long would that last?

In the mean time, though, Ace went to check on a surveillance radar device Tech had invented. The instrument kept track of any superhuman activity within a 250-mile radius. Ace tended to keep track of the apparatus more and more lately, given the mysteriously long period of inactivity.

Once again, there was nothing on the radar.

"Hey, Tech," Ace shouted to Tech, who remained lying on his back on the couch, reading some sort of engineering journal, "have you seen anything on here lately?"

Tech looked up. "Not anything lately," he responded, "occasionally I'll see a few specs of activity popping up from that warehouse facility over on Acacia, but that should be natural for a place like that. They keep all sorts of weird things in there that can interfere with any sort of radar. Otherwise, all remains quiet."

"Huh," said Ace, once again pondering their strange situation. However, Rev's nervous jittering became louder, and he eventually could not tune him out.

"Rev, seriously, it's okay. She's not gonna kill ya or anything."

"Oh of course I know that Ace but I haven't done anything like this in a long long long _long long_ time I mean this isn't high school anymore and I seriously screwed up the last time we were together and I know I'll probably do the same tonight and mmmph"

A furry paw to the beak interrupted Rev's speedy soliloquy. Lexi released when she was certain that he would not continue.

"Rev, look," she started, "even if you did screw up last time, she still went out with you, right?"

Rev nodded.

"Wouldn't that mean that she wasn't totally put off by your screw up?"

Rev nodded again.

"Then doesn't that mean that you _both_ like each other?"

Rev sighed. "Yeah you're right Lexi. I guess I'm not trying to impress her or anything and I shouldn't worry about it too much if I feel the same way but ooh, Lexi, I'm still nervous!"

"Well, a little nervousness is natural on a first date. But once things get rolling, it's fine. But you were on the verge of nervous breakdown."

"A real ravin' loonatic," Ace added, smiling, "pun intended."

Rev smiled meekly as a voice came over the intercom.

"Hey, it's Shannon, Rev's date, and I can't seem to get up. Can somebody put me through?"

Rev began yammering once again, making spastic motions towards the intercom but stumbling on his own words, when Lexi finally intervened and took the matter into her own hands.

"Yeah, sorry, I'll send you through," she spoked, releasing the specialized locks from the entrance many floors below. "We're on the top floor, the elevator door is right in front of the entrance."

"Thanks!" Shannon replied, and the intercom went silent.

"You know, Rev," Lexi said, turning to the still shaky roadrunner, "it'd be more chivalrous of you to meet her down here rather than make her come all the way up here to the upper stratosphere."

"Yeah I knew that but she really wanted to see what our headquarters were like and she insisted so that's why she's coming up."

"Oh. Then, cool."

An awkward silence fell upon the room, thankfully interrupted by Shannon's eventual entrance.

"Hey, Rev!" she shouted, pacing over towards Rev and greeting the fidgety roadrunner with a peck on the cheek.

"H-h-h-hi Sh-shannon!" Rev blushed.

"Grrlbhrb hi", Slam voiced, with bits of lettuce protruding from his mouth.

"Heya, Shannon," Ace greeted, "so you're da one who's got our speedster all in a tizzy."

"Guilty as charged," she replied, now looking about the room. "He gets so nervous, I know. I think it's cute, though." Rev blushed yet again. "So this is your headquarters?"

"Yep," Lexi said, "home sweet home. Nice to meet you, by the way."

"Oh, you too! Wow, what a view," Shannon further remarked, "and it has all of the comforts of a normal home. It must be nice living up here."

"Yeah, well," Ace replied, "sometimes it gets a bit old when you've been lookin' at it for too long. Then again, what doesn't?"

Shannon could only shrug.

Tech took this opportunity to rise out of his seat to give Shannon a proper introduction. "Hi, I'm Tech," he simply stated, extending a paw.

"Oh yeah! Rev's told me a lot about you," Shannon replied, shaking his hand, "a roadrunner having a coyote for a best friend, huh? Must be a bit of rivalry between you two, sometimes," Shannon continued playfully.

The mention of his being a coyote and Rev's being a roadrunner, and the subsequent unusual lineaments of friendship they shared thus, had always been a bit of a sore spot to Tech. Not wanting to embarrass Rev, however, he ignored this irritation.

"I suppose so. Well, Rev doesn't show a trace of fear in fighting potentially life-threatening battles, but this date with you has got him all up in shambles. You must have quite a profound influence on him."

"Heh, I guess so, but ah, he'll get over it," Shannon said, giving Rev a pat on the back. Rev chuckled nervously. "Well, it was nice meeting you all and seeing this place at last, but I think we're going to head out now. Bye!"

Shannon's announcement of departure was met by the obligatory good-byes from the rest of the Loonatics as Rev and Shannon made their leave. Tech watched the two airily step into the elevator and leave, hand in hand.

_Are you strong when you're with him? The one who's placed you above us all._


	7. A Fine Day To Exit

The Fragile

Chapter 7: A Fine Day to Exit

_Good wombs hath born bad sons._

Rev and Shannon made their way out of Headquarters and into the bustle of the city streets below. Nightfall was beginning to consume the city, and the festivities of the night were now underway. It was an excitedly busy time of day, filled with the rush of automobiles and citizens making their way towards their own personal destinations, presumably out to have a good time. The multitude of city lights made the atmosphere all the more energetic, illuminating the great expanse of the metropolis as if the lights themselves were encouraging the populace to join in. Rev and Shannon, at this point, had joined in, walking along the sidewalks of the reflective streets. They continued along at a relatively fast pace, but did not really have an idea as to where they were going.

"I'm sorry if I seem so nervous I just haven't done this in a long time," Rev spoke.

"Oh, but you should be nervous. If everything isn't perfect tonight, I'll have your head on a plate." Shannon smiled.

"That is if you can catch me!"

"I can assure you, I can do anything when I'm angry. And you won't like me when I'm angry."

"On the contrary you get so cute when you're angry you make that little scrunched-up beaver face and ooh it's so cuutte! See there it is right now!"

Rev became much more relaxed at this point. Their compatibility overtook any feelings of dread.

Shannon laughed. "Point taken. I guess I could never intimate anyone with my overpowering rage."

"Aw I wouldn't say that your fists wouldn't do much but your words can bite!"

"Yeah, I should totally enter a rap battle contest." Shannon snickered.

Silence overtook them for a few minutes, before Rev chirped in with another observation.

"I see you're still wearing that bracelet I won for you back at the Acmetroplex."

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I? It reminds me of that beautiful night we shared together and the dignity, chivalry and grace you showed all throughout it."

Rev groaned. "Oh don't remind me those were some of the most awkward moments of my life!"

"Oh, I have no doubt that it was." Shannon smiled. "Seriously though, Rev, I wouldn't not wear this. You know, every time I look at it, it just makes me happy. Cheerful, even. It reminds me of you."

Rev could only smile, but otherwise didn't know what to say to such a compliment. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, the silence that ensued was interrupted by one of Shannon's own observations.

"Um, Rev, where are we?"

The two had been so involved with each other that they walked without paying a shred of attention to where they were going. They were now amidst a very unfamiliar intersection. The intersection in question glowed heavily with red lights emanating from the surrounding buildings – a bit of an odd color for such a part of town.

"Whoa I'm not sure how we got here. Maybe we can find someone and ask him how we go from here to… to-to-to…"

"Go from here to… where?"

Rev laughed very nervously. "I guess I never thought of a place to go!"

"Hmm, neither did I. Well, that kinda blows."

The hopeless feel that consumed Rev during his attempt at asking Shannon out at the Acmetroplex rose up within him once again. So this is how their first date went! They immediately get lost in attempt to reach a destination that was unknown to them. Fantastic.

However, as if by fate, a man with the answer to their problems approached them at that very moment. He was dressed in a red uniform, something that a restaurant host might where. He also wore dark sunglasses, completely obstructing his eyes, and had black long hair streaming down from underneath his hat.

"You two appear to be lost," he began.

"You could say that, yeah," Shannon replied.

"Well, are you two a couple?"

"Yes we are and this is our first date and so far it's not going all that well!" Rev replied somewhat desperately.

"Oh, then I have good news for you two. I happen to know that the Golden Chandelier restaurant is having a special discount for couples tonight. It's quite a nice restaurant, too; it has the perfect atmosphere for a date."

"That sounds pretty good," Shannon nodded, "where is it?"

"It's just one block ahead, on the left. So will you be joining us for dinner?"

"I don't see why not so yeah!" Rev replied excitedly.

"Very well. Have a nice evening, you two."

"Thanks sir," Shannon replied, and the two set off towards the restaurant. "Well, our date's saved, Rev," Shannon continued, "but you can't always expect some random guy to show up and make it all better."

"Hehe yeah I know I'll do better next time though I promise!" Rev gave a huge, sheepish grin.

"Aw, with that face, how can I be mad at you?"

The two arrived at the restaurant's entrance within a couple of minutes. It had all the typical features of a mid-to-upscale restaurant; a couple of rode gardens, a modest fountain, and an archway in the entrance. The inside of the establishment was equally pleasant. As predicted with a name such as 'The Golden Chandelier', many a chandelier hung from the some fifteen foot high ceiling. The dining room as a whole had a golden hue, with dark red tables evenly dispersed throughout the proximity. The two were able to get seats immediately, allowing their conversation to continue without much pause.

"This place is pretty nice but now I'm kinda worried about the price," Rev started, adjusting in his seat.

"Well, if worst comes to worst, you can always just tell them you're a super hero and probably get a free meal."

Rev laughed cynically. "Yeah that might work for Ace or Duck or Lexi or someone but lets face it I'm pretty second tier. I mean I love what I do and all don't get me wrong but sometimes I just wish I was in on all the action a little more than Ace usually allows me."

"Aw, poor Rev. Are you going to cry? Here's some napkins." Shannon giggled.

Rev smiled. "No but get those knives out of my eyesight or my wrists might get it."

Shannon laughed. "Seriously though, Rev, if you want to be included more on the missions you should probably just talk to Ace about it. He seems like a pretty reasonable guy. And if not, just break out your sad puppy-dog eyes. No one can resist that."

Rev eye's widened and his face contorted into a pleading look. "Shannon, will you pwease pay the bill tonight?"

Shannon snickered. "Well, maybe not 'no one'."

"Nah I wouldn't make you pay the bill and especially not on a first date just FYI you know. And you're probably right about Ace too except now's a weird time to ask considering the lull we're in."

"Well, maybe. But everything aside, I'd say this 'lull' was the best thing that ever happened to us."

"Yeah I guess it is," Rev agreed, but he grew tenser. The same foreboding feeling of imminent attack suddenly went across his mind again.

Shannon tapped her feathery fingers on the table for a few seconds, and then re-engaged the conversation. "Usually they would have given us menus by now. I wonder what's the hold up?"

"I guess this place just has slow service after all every rose has its thorn and I guess we just found the thorn."

"And what's _your_ thorn, Rev?" Shannon asked wittily, raising an eyebrow.

"Well first of all I don't talk fast enough and second of all I run too slowly."

"Oh, well, in that case, I'm out of here. Enjoy your meal, loser."

Rev laughed. "Well you're not too perfect yourself missy first of all you're not pretty enough and second of all you have no sense of humor."

"Aww, you flatter me, Rev." Shannon took Rev's hand and gave it a squeeze.

Rev blushed. "And well just so you know I wasn't totally inept tonight". Rev reached his hand into his pocket (he had dressed out of his normal lycra-spandex uniform and into normal clothes for the date) and pulled out the very teddy bear that Shannon had originally requested back at the Acmetroplex.

Shannon's eyes widened slightly. "Wow, you remembered this?"

"Of course I did why would I forget it? It took 27 tries and over 13 dollars worth of coins to get it but hey once I finally snagged it it was all worth it. Plus I think it goes nicely with your bracelet."

Shannon smiled. "Well, thank you. You didn't have to do that, you know, but now that you have," Shannon's smile widened, "I'm going to squeeze it and love it and call it George!"

Rev laughed. "Now you see that look on your face was worth well over 13 bucks heck its probably worth even more than what this meal's going to cost in fact it's absolutely priceless!"

Shannon touched Rev's arm. "You're so corny," she grinned, "but seriously, thanks".

For some moments they simply stared into each other's eyes. A mutual and intoxicating affection was established within their glances, and the rest of the room along with the rest of the world seemed to disappear. This was probably why the waiter had to clear his throat three times before he finally got the roadrunners' attention.

"Oh, sorry," Shannon apologized quietly. The menus were presented and the pleasantries were exchanged, and the two were alone once again.

"Hey you know what would really make this night complete?" Rev asked abruptly.

"Hmm?"

"A nice round of **air hockey!**"

Shannon shook her head. "One tracked mind, eh? But sure, I'm up for it. We can swing by the Acmetroplex on the was back."

"Whoa I was actually just kidding but hey if you're game I'm certainly game so it's on sister!"

"Well, if you play similar to how you did during our last encounter, it won't be must of a contest."

"Aw you know I was nervous to the point of being institutionalized that night but now my nerves are clear and I am ready ready ready!"

"Well, okay. Just don't use your superspeed against me," Shannon smiled.

"Well you know I'm better than that Shannon," Rev paused, "man we should do this sort of thing every day."

"We certainly should," Shannon laughed, "that way I can get more associating by having a super hero for a boyfriend. I'll be a celebrity by association!"

Rev smirked. "Ah so that's why you agreed to go out with me?"

"Of course not, Rev! You know I'm better than that," Shannon said, "it was get access to your headquarters of course."

"Oh well of course that's understandable," Rev grinned.

"But seriously, I'd love to spend more time with you. You make me happy and warm all over, and being happy is definitely a good thing."

Rev smiled. "Then consider it done," Rev reached for Shannon's free hand (her occupied hand was petting her new teddy bear) and squeezed it. "Because you're much more pleasant when you're in a good mood."

"Aw, thanks," said Shannon. She took a quick glance at the menu. "So, what are you going get?"

"Heh certainly not anything that stinks up my breath."

Shannon laughed. "That's probably a good way to go. Wouldn't want you to-"

A blinding flash of light.

A deafening explosion.

A sudden rush of air and heat.

A painful thud.

Darkness…

And then, silence.


	8. The Downward Spiral

The Fragile

Chapter 8: The Downward Spiral

'_Everything's blue in this world.'_

As is the case with any horrifying tragedy, there is always at least one malevolent spirit smirking with satisfaction at the state of things while the rest of the world mourns it.

Vincent Cavanagh entered the large storage facility he was using as his headquarters with a subtle smile of satisfaction on his face. Mastermind, still trapped in the force field prism prison, was quick to observe this.

"Judging by that stupid boy-grin on your face, I take it that your mysterious 'plan' worked?"

"You could say that," Vincent replied, "and I was gone without a trace."

"And what _was_ this 'master-plan', as you so obnoxiously referred to it?" Mastermind followed up.

"Well, it really wasn't all _that_ masterful in itself, I admit, but definitely masterful in the chain reaction it will cause".

"Yes, but what _was_ it?"

"Okay. It was simple, really. My brother Danny had much to do with it, of course. I have, of course, been keeping track of the Loonatic's locations with my brother's tracking system, and I noticed that the roadrunner was going out with a, ahem, female companion. Can you say, perfect opportunity? Anyway, then all it was all a matter of noting the general direction of where they were going. I picked a convenient location to strike, put on any kind of costume, they wouldn't notice, and allowed my brother to teleport me near the scene.

"The first line of business was planting the bomb. Oh, and what a bomb it was. Another one of my brother's creations, of course. It worked as somewhat of a tiny, timed atomic bomb, and I mean tiny. It had the total raw power of something between a pipe bomb and a propane bomb. The key, fundamental advantage to this weapon, though, is that it was so _tiny; _could hardly be distinguished from a spec on the ground. Second, upon its explosion, all traces were immediately disintegrated. It left no trace at all!

"Anyway, once that was planted, it was a simply a matter of finding these two lovebirds and getting them into the restaurant. I originally thought it would take a lot of persuasion on my part, but luckily the birdbrain didn't seem to have a clue where they were going in the first place. Figures. And the rest took care of itself. My brother teleported me out of there before I could ever be suspected".

"That's hardly a master-plan, Vinny. That sounds more like something some 18 year-old girl sitting at a computer would come up with. But was it really necessary to bomb the _entire_ restaurant in order to make a point?"

"Unfortunately, yes. If I had just attacked the birds specifically, people would _know_ it was a targeted attack. Security would skyrocket through the roof for the Loonatics, people would protest the hate of it all, and all my plans would be ruined."

"And how does this establish _anything_, Vincent? Did the two even die?"

"That I am not sure of. My ultimate plan wasn't to _kill_ them, though. At least not the Loonatic. The roadrunner looked especially susceptible to some sort of tragedy. I just wanted something to shake him up. If his little female interest did face her ultimate demise, all the better. Though if _he_ _did_ die, the rest would be shaken up, which would admittedly make my plans go a lot faster. No, that wouldn't be the worst thing".

"Because…?"

"Because, as I've must have explained to you a thousand times over, the anthromorphs are especially susceptible to emotional dismay. Once we have them all in shambles, they'll be prone to a mass attack. Then, man can finally take back its rightful place."

Danny now took a moment to glance over at his brother. It was a very enigmatic look – hard to discern properly. Very few knew what Danny was ever really thinking. 

"So was this little bombing your way of shaking up?" Mastermind continued.

Vincent smiled. "In part, yes. But I can assure you, this is merely the beginning."

Duck had eventually returned to HQ, from a location that was still yet unknown. He was mildly surprised upon entering that Rev had not come back by now, but didn't seem to care quite enough to make note of it.

"Hey Duck, out scoring chicks?" Lexi greeted.

"Whatever," Duck replied irritably, taking a seat and flipping on the television. Lexi was slightly disconcerted at his response.

"Speaking of scoring chicks," Ace observed, "Rev's date must be goin' pretty well. Still no sign of him coming back. He's probably laughin' at the notion that he had something to worry about".

Lexi giggled. "Surely you're not suggesting –"

"Hey, I ain't suggestin' nothing," Ace replied defensively, "whateva images you just put into your head you put there yourself." 

Tech, sitting nearby, rolled his eyes, his eyes peeled in the same journal he had been reading during Rev's initial departure.

Slam, meanwhile, seemed strangely preoccupied at the side of the room. He gazed outside the tower windows, his eyes seemingly transfixed on something in particular. This unusual behavior eventually attracted the attention of Lexi, who shuffled on over to the Tasmanian's spot to inquire what was the matter.

"What's up, Slam?"

"Grghghg boom."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Grbhbh explode."

"Oh, are more kids setting off fireworks illegally? I swear-"

Lexi's stream of thought was interrupted by Zadavia's long unheard voice, echoing through the proximity. 

"Loonatics, meet at the conference table at once." 

Her request was not all that arduous, considering that the conference table was right in the middle of the room. Still, it had been such a long time since she called a meeting, seeing as nothing had been happening for quite some time. The fact that she called so suddenly worried the team.

Each of the five took their seats, awaiting the presumably bad news. They all looked up as she took her usual foreboding stance, and began to speak.

"Loonatics, I'm afraid that our period of peace is over. There has been a bombing at a local restaurant, The Golden Chandelier. The planter's identity, motives and whereabouts are yet unknown, as there seems to be little trace of them. But right now, you must go down to the site of ground zero, look for survivors, and try to find any clues that might lead to our new villain". Zadavia paused and looked around the table. "Tech, find Rev, and then bring him over to ground zero as well. You all know what to do. Zadavia out." And her figure disappeared.

"Well, looks like our lull is over. Imagine, a bombing! It's a shame that Rev's first date had to end like this, but it's a bigger shame for the victims. Let's jet." And Ace, followed by Lexi, Slam then Duck, were off and out. Tech pondered for a moment of where exactly Rev might be. Rev had not told him where he was going, presumably because there was still some tension between them since they night of their quarrel. Tech felt a shiver of shame at that though. He didn't want to think about it.

Then he realized something. And he didn't know whether it was by a premature hunch, or some sense of natural instinct, but…

He somehow knew that Rev already knew about the explosion.

All of the sudden, the scent of putrid smoke, burnt timber and, strangely, traces of food overcame him.

And wearily, Rev opened his eyes.

Initially dazed, he took a closer look at his surroundings. Everything was quite dark, but still visible by distant lights and a few vacant fires here and there. Smoke obscured the air, giving it a translucent feel. Remnants of tables, chandeliers and even the walls and ceilings were scattered all throughout the disaster site, now merely reduced to ruins and shrapnel. 

Rev was stunned. How did he get here? He thought back to the immediate events preceding the events. Let's see, Rev had given Shannon the teddy bear, then she asked what he was getting to eat, and he said something about his breath, and then…

Boom.

Rev's eyes widened. The facility had been bombed. He stood straight up, but screeched in pain by the sensation his right arm shot throughout him as he put pressure on it. The arm hung hopelessly beside him. Clearly, it was broken.

This did not hinder Rev's jolt of energy stimulated by the unexpected horrors the lay around him. He was afraid of looking too closely in the ruins, given that he might find the graphic figures of the dead. He was already feeling squeamish enough, and –

The dead.

The _dead_.

No…

Shannon!

Given a new inspiration, Rev got up and put his superspeed to use, rummaging through the tattered remains as quickly as possible, looking for any sign of her. But surely his feelings were all ridiculous. A preposterous notion! Surely Shannon couldn't be… no, not right now. It was absurd. If he looked hard enough, or long enough, he would eventually find her simply trapped, but only with a few scratches, and she'd say something funny, like, "Geez, Rev, bring some Beano next time." She was so funny, and so pretty… no, he'd laugh at the notion of being this panicked in a few minutes. Just a few minutes. 

But if the idea of… it… was so preposterous, then how come he was so scared?

He continued searching desperately in spite of his arm, flinging all sorts of debris about as he poked around. Eventually, however, he was exhausted from all the unadvisable use he was putting to his arm, and could only glance frantically around.

And then he saw it.

He moved slowly towards it, and picked up what was left of the cuddly brown object.

The teddy bear gazed back at him with hopeless black button eyes. Parts of his fur were charred black, and other parted were completely torn altogether. His right leg hung by a mere few threads, with puffy white stuffing protruding from the gap.

He put the bear to his chest. The lights vanquished from his eyes.

"…Shannon…"


	9. A Warm Place

The Fragile

Chapter 9: A Warm Place

Rev simply stood in place amidst the devastation, still, stone statue, for some seconds or maybe hours. Who knew? He had not, of course, found Shannon. But he found her teddy bear, which she was holding, and it was…

No.

He gave up hope. He had probably just been among the lucky victims who landed softly or didn't receive the blast full force. It seemed to come from her direction… What was all this for, anyway? What is anything for? Surely, one day, he'd forget her face… in a thousand years? Or maybe a week…

He was jumping to rash conclusions now, and he knew it. After all, he still hadn't _actually_ found her; he had just made logical assumptions. Sometimes logical assumptions aren't nearly enough. But if Shannon were really okay, wouldn't he have seen her by now?

Either away, he felt hopelessly alone. Physically, as time went on, he couldn't have been less alone. Inevitably, the explosion was gathering attention not only from the authorities, but also from the public. A crowd formed off to the side and stood with gaped jaws, staring with fascination at the destruction. As if this were some sort of show. Rev turned away from them.

He could scarcely make out vague images of firefighters, policemen, rescue workers and investigative officers moving about throughout the scene of the crime. But they were all just a part of the big city anonymous. Maybe he knew a few of them, Rev wasn't sure, but he wasn't bothering to look at them. Right now, if Shannon really was… _dead_… he didn't really want to see anyone. Well, okay, that was a lie; he longed to eradicate the cloud of loneliness that fogged his consciousness. He could use someone at his side just now, but not just anyone. Not just some ambivalent-willed anonymous looking to score some karma points. No, right now he needed someone who he trusted beyond all others; a very elite few, indeed. But where could they be right now? There was Shannon, but obviously… well, there were also his parents, maybe Rip, or perhaps…

The figure that stood in front of him right now.

Tech had acted upon his hunch and made his way right toward the site of the incident. Sure enough, there he found Rev standing companionless amidst the ruin. He seemed to be holding some sort of teddy bear, which had clearly seen better days. Tech idly wondered why the others hadn't seemed to see him, and then Tech wondered why he hadn't seen any of the others himself. Well, the destruction was pretty widespread; they were probably residing somewhere beyond their range of vision, meeting with an authority or something. Either way, he had found Rev.

Then Tech took a closer look at Rev, and his eyes widened. None of that classic Rev Runner energy was present, and his hopeful, youthful eyes had aged quite heavily in the span of one evening. Tech knew something had gone horribly, horribly wrong. Tech didn't know what to do. He froze, unable to approach Rev. He had no idea what he'd say to him.

Eventually, however, Rev seemed to peer up, his eyes finally meeting Tech's. At first, Rev seemed surprised to see him, almost as if Tech were an uninvited figure in his state of introversive brooding. However, the assumption of Tech's obtrusiveness was shattered as Rev hastily stumbled over in his direction, eyes wide with… hopelessness? Rev broke into a short run and seemed to collapse into Tech, wrapping his arms around his torso. At first, Tech thought (with some trepidation) that Rev has passed out. But then Tech realized the truth was even scarier – he was _sobbing._

Once again, Tech was met with the conflict of having no idea what to say. He could merely pat him somewhat awkwardly on the back. The anguished roadrunner eventually looked up after some seconds and spoke – abnormally slow.

"Tech, I'm – I'm so sorry, this is probably, s-so weird for you, me like this, and I probably l-look really p-pathetic, but I-"

"No, no, no, it's okay," Tech assured Rev.

"Are… are you sure?"

"Trust me, you're fine. Shh." Tech, from this showcase of helplessness from Rev, had assumed the worst had happened. He also thought it was best not to bring it up right now. 

Tech's feral instincts suddenly arose through a scent. Coyotes had the natural ability to sense that a prey was injured or sick, and he was definitely sensing something from Rev. He was, after all, naturally prey (although he didn't like to think about that.) He checked around his back and glanced towards Rev's right arm.

"Your arm's broken…" Tech commented meagerly.

"Yeah…" Rev acknowledged, but did not seem to care about it. He must have been _really_ distressed. He couldn't make him help the rest of the team at this moment, especially not so grisly of a job. And he also couldn't leave him here alone.

"Come on, Rev, we're going back to H.Q.," Tech said, patting Rev's shoulder, gesturing him to move forward.

"B-but don't you have to stay here and help, or something?"

"No," Tech answered, "I was put in charge of you tonight, and I have no intention of backing out on that." It was a half-lie, to be sure, but Tech figured that Rev, even in such a solemn state, would insist that Tech fulfil his assigned duties. He was so devoted to the team.

Tech, keeping an inviting arm wrapped around Rev's shoulder, led the way back to headquarters, where Rev might finally receive some peace. 

Upon entering the living quarters, Tech had Rev lay down on the couch, which he propped with a pillow. "Let me get you a glass of water, and something for you arm," Tech said, moving towards the kitchen. Rev said nothing.

After a few moments, Tech reappeared with a pitcher of water and a few rather large pills.

"You've got to hand it to modern technology," Tech commented, handing Rev the pitcher and the pills, "those capsules have the ability to form an instant layer of hemoglobin where it's needed, and restore a bone back to health in a matter of minutes." 

"That sounds good," Rev said detachedly, taking the pills while staring off into nothing in particular. Tech's ears drooped, and he knelt down to become level with the roadrunner.

"Look, you know that nothing that happened tonight was your fault, right?"

"I guess…"

"And that you could have done nothing to change… anything… right?"

"I suppose so, Tech, but damn it, it stills hurts!"

Tech paused. He had seldom ever heard the roadrunner swear in such a way before. Rev, apparently, realized this too, and quickly repented his sin.

"Oh, I'm sorry Tech, I really appreciate you being here with me right now. I really, really do."

"You don't have to apologize to me, Rev," Tech replied, "you've been through a lot tonight. If you need to vent on it, the best thing you can do is let it out."

Rev seemed to ponder the notion for a minute, tears momentarily reappearing in his eyes. Then he sighed. "No, I don't really have anything to say."

"That's okay, too," Tech said quietly. "Is there anything else I could get you? Anything at all."

"Maybe I could just get some rest," Rev said.

"Okay, let me make up your bed."

"Already made up," Rev said, smiling meekly, "I always make sure to make my bed as soon as I get up."

"You are far more organized than I," Tech replied, returning the smile. "Are you sure you're going to be okay alone for the rest of the night?"

Rev looked unsure, but nevertheless replied, "Yeah, I'm going to be okay. You've done enough for me tonight, thank you." 

Tech nodded. "Okay, if you say so. Goodnight Rev."

Rev nodded in return, and went towards his room, where he hoped to possibly get his mind off everything for a few hours.

Unfortunately, this was hardly the case. Rev move around restlessly in his bed, recalling the night's previous events for some hours before he was finally able to drift off to sleep. His dreams were no less inviting. They contained an indiscernible blur of images, but a string of various voices from unknown sources kept running through his brain, overtaking him.

"A big sale is going down at Phil's food Market-"

"The economy is almost at its peak, but how long will it last? More details to come-"

"Got gas? Have some beano! It's-"

"He couldn't believe how morbid it was."

"In sports today, athlete Andy Bailey set a new Frolf record-"

"There was so much blood for such a tiny little hole…"

"Tourists flock to the docks to witness the new line of Carnival cruise ships-"

"Dozens of bodies were recovered in the woods, all with slashes on their throats-"

"The price of milk has now gone up to $8.99 a gallon!"

"The new movie _October_ came in at number 4 in the box office-"

"He was horrified as he saw his two sons hanging from the banister, with the message 'THEY ARE COMING' written on the walls in blood-"

"A new street lamp was installed on Acacia Avenue-"

"He spoke the words, 'they are coming,' put the pistol to his temple, and pulled the trigger-"

"Bono is now going galactic! Spreading his message of piece across the entire star system-"

"Graphic images of corpses moved through the woods as demonic screams echoed from the church. There was no hope for them."

All the noise was cut off. The dream instantly turned black. A carpenter approached from the far side of this seemingly black room, a chainsaw in hand. The man had long black hair and dark sunglasses. 

"We are coming," he spoke with a smile, then roared the chainsaw to life, and lunged at him.

The walls of Rev's room suddenly were filled with a piercing scream. 

Tech, still sitting in the regular living quarters awaiting the others, was immediately alerted to the scream, and dashed towards Rev's room as quickly as he could manage.

He burst in Rev's room, to see Rev bolted upright, his face contorted with horror, initially heightened by Tech's sudden entrance. However, as Rev realized it was Tech, he seemed to calm down. Tech moved towards Rev's bedside and turned on the nearest light.

"It's okay, it's okay, it was just a dream, just images running through your mind."

"I know that now, but… oh God, it was horrible!"

"I know, it must have been," but Tech couldn't have quite known.

"Tech," Rev paused, "I'm so glad you're here."

Tech, again, did not know what to say to such a comment. He could only give Rev a reassuring pat on the shoulder. It was at this point that he realized Rev could not be left alone again.

Tech moved towards the door and closed it, leaving himself and Rev inside. He was now able to quickly glance around Rev's room, something he had never done before. It was pretty neat and well kept, as he would have expected. His working disk contained a few pictures of his family members, and a couple more of his friends. Including her… he must not have noticed that quite yet. Also in his room was a large bookcase, which seemed to be sorted into categories. The bottom shelf contained fiction, the 2nd science fiction, the 3rd contained books on mechanics and engineering, which Tech noted with particular interest, and on the fourth shelf, to Tech's amusement, memorabilia of the Loonatics themselves. Action figures, plushes, the works. He was also interested in noting that there seemed to be more of him than anyone else.

Tech hastily snapped out of his observations, remember there was still a very frightened roadrunner in the room who had just been through a horrifying experience. He pulled the chair from the desk, moved it right next to Rev's bedside, and took a seat.

"Don't mind if I sit here as a, erm, guard dog," Tech shivered, "do you?"

Rev smiled at Tech's referencing himself as a dog. "You wouldn't think of me as a total wimp for wanting you to stay?"

"Not at all."

"Then please do," Rev said with wide, pleading eyes. Even if Tech hadn't wanted to stay, he couldn't say no to those eyes.

"Well, considering I already offered, I will." Tech smiled, reaching over to rub Rev's neck. "Shall I turn out the light?"

"Um," Rev said apprehensively, but then spoke confidently, "yes, and Tech-"

"Yes?"

Rev paused. "Thank you so much."

"Very least I could do," Tech replied. "Now get some rest," and Tech turned out the light.

Rev turned over in his bed, and eventually, with tired eyes, a tired mind, and a tired soul, he slept. 


	10. Awaken

The Fragile

The Fragile

Chapter 10: Awaken

"_With dead tongues and lonely hearts we cough the poison out, and yet I sing a song of hope."_

The night of reckoning had eventually come to pass. The first glimmers of morning sunlight streamed in through a tiny gap in the window curtain, creating a ray of light convoluted with peacefully floating dust particles. The ray seemed to make a point of poking at Rev's eyelid, eventually achieving its goal of opening it.

Rev awoke from his slumber with a fiery bright light in his left eye. He sat up, stretched and yawned. Without given much time to enjoy the peaceful morning, the memories of the previous night rushed back to him, and anxiety once again hit him like a ton of bricks. He didn't know if it was because of subliminal contemplation in his sleep, but he decided not give up hope on Shannon. After all, he still hadn't found her, and maybe she was found safe and sound sometime last night after he had left. He looked to his right and saw Tech still slumbering by his bedside in his wooden desk chair. Rev had nearly forgotten he had stayed the night. Poor guy, the chair must not have been very comfortable. 

Still, Rev didn't wish to disturb his rest. He'd been nice enough to stay with him that night, anyway, so there was no sense in bothering him further. Rev got out of bed very quietly and tip-toed towards his closet to change into a new set of clothes (he had still been wearing his date attire from the lovely evening seemingly years ago.) He took another glance at Tech, eyes still shut, his stomach moving up and down rhythmically. With this, Rev haphazardly slammed into his work desk, knocking over a lamp, which fell to its demise as it loudly smashed to bits on the metallic floor. Rev's figure froze. He turned slowly around to view the coyote, inevitably rudely awoken, glancing around in surprise. A nervous grin spread across the roadrunner's face, from with a high-pitched, odd, timorous sound emanated. 

"I'm so sorry Tech I-I-I tried to be quiet but of course I'm a klutz and now I woke you up I really didn't mean it because why would I want to disturb you and I mean you were really nice to me last night and I'm sure that chair must have been hard for you to fall asleep in and now I've gone and disturbed you I just mmph"

Rev's lovely explanation was cut off by a paw to the beak.

"Well, look who's got the gift of Gab back," Tech said smoothly. More seriously, he asked, "are you feeling any better?"

"Well… maybe so," Rev said apprehensively, "well last night I was kind of just assuming Shannon was… dead, you know? But now I'm thinking you know that maybe she isn't! I still haven't actually seen her after all… maybe she's still out there safe and I just didn't find her… or something."

Tech was surprised. He had assumed that Rev had known for a fact that she was dead. Had he known this, he likely would have stayed behind to look for her. Perhaps it was for the better, though; Rev was quite distressed, and needed some support.

"Well," Tech said, "that's logical thinking. You know, the others were assigned to look for survivors last night, among other things. Perhaps they've found Shannon?"

Rev's eyes brightened. "Oh really maybe they found her then!" Rev was legitimately smiling for the first time in what seemed like ages. "Could you ask them for me could you?"

Tech scratched his head. "You could ask them yourself, you know. They should all be back by now."

Rev looked towards the ground, shuffling his feet. "Yeah I know it's just… I don't know, you'll probably think this is silly but I don't feel all that ready to see the rest of them right now."

Tech was puzzled. "I don't understand… you're not, _ready_ to see them? Why?"

Rev shook his head. "I don't know why it's just how I feel, I just don't want… can you ask them for me please?" By the solemn look on Rev's face, Tech knew that Rev was being legitimate. He also probably knew perfectly well why he didn't want to see them, but didn't feel comfortable explaining. Which was fine.

"Okay, okay," Tech said, "I'll go ask them."

"Thanks Tech," Rev replied sincerely.

Tech walked out of Rev's room, still nonplussed by the roadrunner's motives, but convinced that it'd be useless questioning them. As he had expected, the other four were back from their quest, most of them sipping at coffee. Clearly, it had been a long night.

"Hey Tech, where've you been?" Ace asked.

"Oh, well, last night I slept with Rev," Tech responded.

"You did _what?!"_ Lexi exclaimed.

"Oh, no no no! Rev just had a really, really rough night." 

"You're not exactly helping your case, you know," Lexi added.

Tech sighed. "Enough of the dirty jokes. Rev was in extreme distress last night, and he was having really bad nightmares. I slept next to his bed to sort of comfort him. And he needed it."

"What happened?" Ace asked, "did the date go bad or somethin'?"

Tech laughed cynically. "I suppose you could say that. Wow, you guys don't know."

"Know what? That Rev is a blubbery nervous wreck when it comes to girls? We all knew that," said Duck with his eyes closed, sipping a cup of coffee.

Tech shot Duck a dirty look. "What you guys _didn't know_ is that Rev and Shannon were _at_ the restaurant that got blown up."

"Oh my God," Lexi responded, placing a hand over her gaping mouth. "Are they alright?"

"Well, that's the thing," Tech said, "Rev came out of it okay, save a broken arm, which was quickly healed with one of those pills. Shannon, however…"

Ace looked troubled. "Did she…"

"We don't know," Tech said, "Rev never found her. So that poses my question: did any of you guys see her? But I'm assuming by the fact that you had no idea they were there, you didn't."

"No, we didn't see her at all," Ace said, "not that we were lookin' for her in particular or anything, but we would have seen her if she was there. We did a pretty thorough search."

"So no sign of her, either alive or… dead?"

"Nope," said Lexi, "sorry Tech."

"So she's missing," said Tech, "great."

"You know, there's the possibility that she was fine and went home or something. I don't why she'd just abandon Rev, if that were the case, and that would kind of suck… but she _could _have."

Tech scratched his chin. "You're probably right, I can go check right now." Tech moved over to the great workstation located in the technical section of headquarters. The station was riddled with monitors, motherboards, and keyboards, with seemingly endless functions. Evidently, there was a virtual phonebook function, which listed all numbers within the certain parameters of an area. Tech didn't know Shannon's last name, but that was fine, because he could limit his search by species. He entered a search to find the phone number of the residence containing the genus _Geococcyx_ with the name 'Shannon' within a 16-block parameter (which she must have lived within, given that she walked to headquarters.) Sure enough, one single phone number came up.

"Here goes nothing," Tech said, and dialed the number on his keyboard, and the call transmitted through the speaker.

There were three rings before a woman finally answered. 

"Hello?"

"Good morning, this is Loonatics headquarters, and-"

"Oh, you must know Rev Runner then. Our daughter Shannon went out with him last night, but she hasn't come back. Do you know what's going on? I'd really hate to think she went home with him on the _first date_. I really didn't think Rev would do something that disgusting, he always seemed like such a nice boy, although a bit of a fast talker."

Tech sighed. "You have already answered my question. Ma'am, do you know about the Golden Chandelier restaurant?"

"The one that got bombed? Bless me, that was so frightening."

"Yes, well," Tech trembled, having never had experience with being a bearer of bad news, "well, Rev and Shannon had actually gone there to eat last night."

Tech heard something shatter on the other line. Presumably, she had dropped her coffee cup. "…They, they aren't-"

"They're not dead, as far as we know, but…" Tech shivered again, "Shannon is missing."

"_What?!_"

"She was not found at the site, in any way, shape, or form," 

"Oh, she's probably alive then, she's always been so resilient, but, dear me, where _is_ she?"

"We don't know. We can declare her officially missing and put out a search, if you'd like."

"Well of _course_ do that! What do you think, I _want_ her to stay missing? We've had our rows lately, but I'd never want her missing! Who is this, anyway?"

"Um, Tech E. Coyote, ma'am."

"Oh, the coyote," she responded curtly. "Well, I hope to God you lot can find her. Have your best do the most thorough search they can, for her sake! Maybe not you, though, you should probably stay wherever you are."

"Thank you for the advice, ma'am," Tech said irritably, "we will put out a search as soon as possible." And with that, a click was heard on the other line, and the call was over. The others, of course, had been listening.

"Well, I can ring the authorities and talk to them about starting an early search," Ace said, "usually you have to wait 48 hours for this sort o' thing."

"Yeah, I know," Tech said, "hey, I'll be right back."

And Tech once again made his way towards Rev's room, where Rev was presumably (and somewhat inexplicably) waiting. Sure enough, upon opening the door, Tech saw the roadrunner pacing nervously from one corner to the other, awaiting the news.

Rev turned and saw the coyote, and his eyes temporarily lit up. "Oh good you're back that was taking forever so what's the news huh?"

Tech exhaled sullenly. "Well, she was found neither dead or alive. That is to say, she wasn't found at all."

Rev looked at Tech expressionless for a few seconds, then sat down at the edge of his bed.

"So… she's missing."

"It looks to be that way, yeah," Tech said sadly.

"Well, she probably survived then if she wasn't there at all," Rev figured, "but what would make her go missing? Did you check her house?"

"Yeah, I called her mother. Delightful woman she is." Tech then decided that this wasn't the greatest time to rant. "But she isn't there either."

"Then where could she be?"

Tech shook his head. "I just don't know."

"Oh man Tech, I'm so nervous now!"

Suddenly, Tech had a revelation. A very obvious one, at that; he didn't know why he didn't think of it earlier.

"Rev! Your GPS powers!"

Rev eyes widened. "I nearly forgot about those!"

"So did I, Rev, see if you can track her!"

"Will do will do!" and Rev scrunched up his face and concentrated. And concentrated. And concentrated.

"Tech I'm not getting any trace of her!"

"Keep going, sometimes it takes a while."

Rev kept at it for a few more moments, but eventually gave up the ghost after a few minutes. Exhausted from the effort, he collapsed onto the bed.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"Well… she just might be somewhere that would escape the eyes of the GPS system. Like under a bridge or a really tall building, or something."

"Yeah."

The two sat in silence for some time. The deeply troubled look that had been present on Rev's face the night prior had now returned. Clearly, he was assuming the worst yet again, or at the very least, he was very nervous. Tech wanted to say something to comfort him, but was at a loss for words.

Although Rev was quite well into his young adult years, there were times when he would return to a state of childlike innocence, either from excitement… or tragedy. The latter was one of these instances. With wide eyes, he turned back to the coyote.

"Tech?"

"Yes, Rev?"

"Promise me you'll never go missing."

Tech was slightly surprised by the statement, but nevertheless, he placed a comforting hand on Rev's shoulder.

"I promise."


	11. Solitary Shell

The Fragile

The Fragile

Chapter 11: Solitary Shell

The days passed, slowly but surely, eventually extending into a couple of weeks. Despite this, Rev made no significant progress in opening himself back up to the group. He remained as a newfound introvert – albeit not a total loner, either. To be certain, he did eventually mingle amidst the living quarters of HQ, making meager small talk to the other four members of the team (save Tech) and listening to their sympathies which, sadly, had little significance to him. He only came out for the necessities - official meetings or meal times. Other than that, he kept to either his own room or Tech's lab.

Contrary to the growing distance between Rev and the other four members of the team, Rev seemed to be growing all the more closer to Tech, almost becoming a shadow to the coyote. Tech found this behavior to be quite peculiar, and perhaps a bit irritating at first. But he had eventually grown used to it. In fact, he was a bit amused by it. Tech, generally a loner himself, had never had anyone take to him to the extent Rev was taking to him. It was weird and new, but oddly satisfying. Sure, he and the roadrunner had always probably considered themselves good companions, but Rev had always spend pretty much an equal amount of time with everyone else. Now it was different. As a result, Tech inadvertently allowed himself to become more conversational and open than ever.

As previously mentioned, Rev and Tech spent much time in the lab. Rev was still in somewhat of a solemn state, but he was in the process of cheering up a bit. In the morning, Rev would usually depart from his room and go straight to Tech's lab, usually before Tech himself got out of bed. To pass the time, he analyzed Tech's creations thoroughly (but did not fiddle with them, as that had had disastrous, even world-threatening results in the past.)

One particularly bright morning, Tech burst open the door to the lab (in which Rev was patiently waiting) with bloodshot yet excited eyes. He had some papers full of calculation in his right paw, which he slammed down on the nearest table.

"I got it," he spoke triumphantly, panting slightly from an evidently exhausting trip from his room to his lab.

"You mean the blueprints to get started on that mysterious project of yours well the one which you won't tell me what it is and can I assume you worked all night on?" Rev asked.

"Blueprints, calculations, whatever," said Tech, regaining his posture, "and yes, it was a long, strenuous night of mathematical and theoretical experimentation, but it'll all be worth it."

"Oh please please _please_ tell me what this whole project is about already it's been driving me nuts for days now and since you have it all figured out now it seems just _please_ tell me tell me tell me!"

Tech grinned. "Oh, I suppose I can unveil my plans now that I've sorted all of this out, since I assume you'd like to aid me in the making of my new creation?"

Rev was enraptured at this suggestion. "Ohmigosh yes yes a million times yes! When can we get started?" Rev's grin was so wide it looked like one could stuff eighteen seed sandwiches into his mouth.

"Whoa, calm down there, Sparky," Tech said, laughing. "At least let me say what it _is_".

"Whoa you're calling _me_ Sparky doggy-boy?"

"Touché, my feathered friend. Maybe I'll just keep this all to myself after all."

"No no no I take it back you're not a dog you're obviously a coyote I mean anyone with a brain can see that now what is it?"

"Thank you for the sincere apology," Tech chuckled, "and now let's move on. Well, to put it into simple terms, I plan to build a machine that will essentially mimic my regeneration powers."

Rev looked confused. "So basically it just fixes itself when it gets destroyed?"

"I didn't word that right," Tech clarified, "it will be a machine that regenerates _people_, heals their injuries, et cetera, no matter how bad of shape the victim in question may be".

Rev was wide-eyed. "Whoa… a machine that actually brings people back from the dead! Man that would be revolutionary when did you get the idea for this?"

Tech's triumphant demeanor faded slightly, and he cast his eyes down towards the floor. "Around the time when you and… with the... well, the influence is not important." Tech straightened up. "The point is I've finally figured out how do it."

"You mean this machine can actually just make anyone alive again?"

Tech grimaced. "Well, not just anyone. You must understand, while this machine will certainly be a huge step in the progress of the biological field of technology, it's not God, either. No, it has its limitations. First of all, it must be familiar with the genetic structure of the person it's reviving; otherwise it simply will not work at all. Secondly, I estimate it has a time limit of 17 minutes to work. That means, once a person has been deceased for more than 17 minutes, the machine will be useless".

"Well yeah I guess those are some pesky limitations but still it'd fantastic if we can pull this off!"

"Oh, I have no doubt that we will." Tech scratched his chin.

"Hey Tech I've been meaning to ask while you were working on those calculations you were also building this big black thing," Rev sped towards a six foot tall black tower, riddled with scanning lights. "What exactly does this do I didn't ask before because you were pretty secretive about it but now I want to know. Plus it has this big red button that I want to push really really badly just like this," Rev poked the button. "…oops."

All at once, blinding lights emanated from the machine, casting Rev in a luminous cascade of white. Rev felt bright, thin lines of red light moving across his body, creating an odd tingling sensation. And before he knew what had started, it was all over.

"Oh my gosh what was _that_?!"

Tech laughed. "Congratulations, Rev, you are the first specimen to be genetically scanned. I didn't even know if it was fully operational yet, but it appears that it is! You are quite the lab rat, I'll give you that."

Rev scowled. "OK yeah but why was I just scanned ooohhh!" The reason dawned on Rev.

"Yep, that's going to be the scanning machine that keeps a database on everyone's DNA makeup, so the regeneration machine can operate. It's quite pivotal."

"So you _have_ started working on it!"

Tech shrugged. "Well, I _knew _how to build a scanning machine. Those things are a dime a dozen, easy as pie. And, admittedly, I think I'd have more trouble making a pie."

Rev rolled his eyes. "Anyway can we get started on this today because I'm really excited about it and-"

Rev was interrupted by a knock on the lab door. Tech allowed entrance, and the team's leader walked in.

"Hey guys, in light of the new activity that's been goin' on, we're going to have another practice simulation startin' in about 10 minutes. Tech, get the virtual reality simulator ready," Ace said.

"Alright, chief, I'll be right out," Tech said. Ace left, and Tech turned to Rev. "Hey Rev, a simulation. Your favorite." And it was true – Rev had loved to play around in the simulator; constructively, of course.

However, he roadrunner looked surprisingly disheartened. "I guess…"

Tech was puzzled. "What's wrong?"

Rev shrugged. "I guess I just don't feel like doing it."

"Well, we have to. So get ready."

"Okay," Rev said without a fuss, but his temporary cheerful attitude was now vanquished.

Ten minutes later, the simulation was ready as scheduled. The six Loonatics gathered in the middle of a large metallic room made specifically for simulations such as these. Before the pictorialization actually started, however, Ace pulled Tech to the side for a private word.

"Hey, Tech, I've been meaning to ask ya something."

Tech was puzzled. "Well, okay. Shoot."

"Well, its about Rev. You must have noticed he's been hanging out with you a lot lately, but avoidin' the rest of us. Do you know what's the matter with him?"

"Ah," Tech said, "yeah, I do have a theory on that. I think it's a form of post-traumatic stress syndrome, taking the form of the mother-duckling effect".

"The mother-duckling effect?"

"Oh, let me explain. You see, after the whole… event… I was the first person Rev really talked that night, and ever since he's wanted to stick around me, perhaps as some subliminal cry for protection. I'm not sure. But, you see, it's much like when a baby duckling hatches and sees his mother for the first time. For months afterward, he never lets her alone."

"Ah, I see," Ace said. "And that would make sense. But let's hope it doesn't effect his in-combat performance."

"Yeah, here's hoping," Tech said, and the two made their way back towards the center of the room.

"Alright, we all ready?" Ace asked. The five nodded determinedly.

"Alright, then Tech, take it away."

Tech held out a small remote control with two simple buttons on it; one labeled "Start Sim" and the other labeled "Kill Sim". Tech pressed the top button labeled "Start", and the entire room instantly transformed. The Loonatics were now on a very tiny urban side street, complete with many run-down, graffiti ridden buildings to each side. There was not much width to the road, but there were plenty of nooks and crannies in the buildings from which villains would inevitably pop out. And, in accordance to the predictability to the scene, exactly 13 armed, anonymous gunmen appeared in front of the Loonatics.

The gunmen formed one large group, and started to advance upon the six, obviously outnumbered.

"Lexi, maneuver number 7!" Ace shouted.

"Got it," she replied, and she used her brain blast simultaneously along with Ace's laser blast to scatter the advancing men. The planned worked, and many were even blasted against the walls, temporarily dazed. A good amount was resilient, however, and got right back up.

"Slam!" Ace shouted. "Use your tornado maneuver!"

"Grrblb okay," Slam acknowledged, and transformed into a raging twister as he flung himself at the villains. Within the blink of an eye, men were flying everywhere. A particular group of four slammed against a wall, right beside each other.

"Tech, quick, trap them!" Ace ordered. Tech concentrated on a stack of metallic cross beams stacked alongside the road, magnetically lifted them up in the air and placed them atop the four men recovering lamely in the corner where they had landed. They were trapped, and thus taken care of.

"Good goin', Tech. Now Duck, Rev, get in there and distract them – you can get in and out of there the fastest".

Duck quacked immediately, waiting for something to do, while Rev merely nodded and sped off at a speed not quite as speedy as usual.

"Hey, Sims! Looking for some roast duck?!" Duck taunted. The nine men now still standing began firing lasers at the mallard. Duck quacked out and reappeared 12 meters from where he previously stood.

"Then, bully for you," Duck quacked again, and reappeared on a rooftop. "Cause you can never compete with Danger Duck!" More shots were fired, and Duck disappeared, landing atop one of the gunmen's shoulders.

"Ooh, is that a bald spot?" Duck said before he disappeared once again. Evidently, Duck used simulations to not only practice his moves, but also his snide remarks.

Usually, both Rev and Duck were guilty of taunting their enemies. However, Duck was taunting alone in this scenario. Rev merely ran in a giant circle, not even bothering to randomize his moves as he usually did. Simple as it was, his technique was working, in that he wasn't yet shot. Unfortunately, he eventually tripped on a curbstone, flew recklessly through the air and landed lamely on the pavement.

"Ow!" he shouted, laying on the ground for far too long. The enemies jumped at the opportunity of a fallen hero, and advanced on Rev immediately.

Lexi jumped in just in time, brain-blasting the advancing gunmen with impeccable aim. They flew back against the wall.

"Nice save, Lex!" Ace shouted. "Rev, be more careful next time."

Rev picked himself up and sighed. But the action continued.

"Tech, you got a grappling hook on ya?" Ace asked.

"I'm never without it in battle, chief," Tech said, and took out what looked like a flat iron. Tech advanced on the three men just blasted by Lexi, pulled the trigger on the grappler, and instantly tied up the three men, rendering them useless. Seven down.

"Good job! We're over halfway there, gang. Now, everyone organize together, we're going to block the rest of 'em in, and then take them on one on one" Ace ordered.

However, one of the six remaining perpetrators was apparently not happy with Tech and his grappling hook. While the others hid to prepare a strike, the ravaged man poked out from the corner and aimed to fire at Tech. Rev noticed instantly.

"No Tech watch out!" Rev broke free from the blockade to push Tech out of the way towards the side of the street.

"Rev what are you doing?!" Ace shouted, "this is just a simulation, and even if this were real, Tech has regeneration power, and reflexes! Don't break the blockade!"

Rev looked up nervously and awkwardly began to work out an apology.

It was too late, though. The opponents took advantage of this distraction to strike the now unorganized Loonatics. The six of them scattered, having no real plan. Occasionally, Lexi, Ace and Slam performed some of their meteor-blessed powers, but very recklessly, as they were using all of their concentration on avoiding the shroud of gunfire.

Duck's eyes, however, suddenly lit up. "I guess I have to save the day again." Quacking in and out to avoid any stray laser fires, he began to simultaneously throw eggs all around, seemingly haphazardly, but with amazing precision. He quacked into just the right places to get a perfect shot out the perpetrators, and kept doing so until all six of them were struck with one of Duck's eggs. Soon enough, the alley-like road was scattered with men dressed in black, grabbing their own faces in agony.

"Wow…" Ace said, amazed. Quickly he ordered, "Tech, the grappling hook!"

"Right," Tech said, and he ran over to each man, who were still trying to shake off whatever was inside Duck's eggs, and tied them up. Soon, all thirteen were captured, and the mission was a success.

"Wow Duck," Ace repeated, "surprisingly nice moves there! What were in those eggs?"

"Oh, just some vinegar," Duck said proudly, "really stings the eyes. It really distracts them for a few minutes."

"Well, good thinking, Duck! You pretty much saved all of our skins there."

"What can I say?" Duck said, "a hero's gotta do what a hero's gotta do."

In spite of herself, Lexi congratulated Duck as well. "Yeah, that was pretty impressive, Duck."

"Yeah, well, it turns out I'm not a useless idiot after all, hmm?" Duck said. Lexi looked slightly dejected.

"Kill the simulation," Ace said, and Tech, taking out his remote once again, did so. The room returned to normal.

Duck approached Rev, still looking rather guilty. "Hey, thanks for screwing the pooch back there. No, no, that's a sincere thank you. If you hadn't, I might not have proved to, ahem, _certain individuals _that I'm not totally inept. Then again, it more than likely would have happened eventually." Rev did not know what to say to him. Duck turned to the rest of the group. "Alright, I'm going out for a while, guys, a little celebration never hurt anyone." And, like many times before, Duck departed.

"Jeez," Ace said, "he did a good job, yeah, but a little success and that guy positively milks it". Lexi, to his side, smiled a little.

Ace then turned to Rev. "Hey,"

"Yeah I know I screwed up," Rev said with downcast eyes. "Really, really screwed up. I'll do better next time I promise."

"Yeah, that'd probably be the best thing," Ace said slowly. "Just remember, we do whatever we can to protect _everyone_ on the team, not just certain members of it".

The last comment stung Rev a little, and he considered the matter finished. He stood offside and allowed Ace, Lexi and Slam to exit. Tech, however, stayed behind with Rev, searching for something to say.

"Hey," Tech at last spoke, "we could get started on the regenerator now, if you'd like."

Rev shook his head. "Nah, I think I'm going to just go to my room for a while. Lay down, take a nap, I don't know."

Tech was surprised at how slow Rev was now talking. "Um, okay, if that's what you want."

"I don't know what I want anymore," Rev said, and slowly made his way out of the room without another word.


	12. Holding On

The Fragile

The Fragile

Chapter 12: Holding On

The air inside Dan and Vincent's headquarters remained as stale and bleak as ever. Indeed, conditions of the warehouse had little changed. Dan's excruciatingly complex work desk remained propped up again the left, slate-gray wall. The remarkable triangular prison still held the same twenty or so captive criminals on the right. And in the middle, the same old portable living space, greatly resembling a fancy trailer, remained assembled. And off in the back of the room, the same extraneous materials and supplies still remained scattered; a few bookcases, several empty boxes, a large, thick metallic crate, some standard weapons and a few food reserves.

The only alteration to the setting was the prism prison's new feature -invisibility cloaking; very useful if an official were to stop by and inspect the facilities.

It was about 3:30 in the afternoon. If everything were as usual, in another 30 minutes, Vincent would emerge from the trailer in the middle of the plot, when his soaps would finish up.

However, everything _wasn't_ as usual. Vincent made his appearance 30 minutes early, much to the surprise of his brother, who was, as usual, at his work desk, sipping a cup of coffee. There was somewhat of a wild look in Vincent's eyes, which suggested that he was having some mad stroke of inspiration.

"I've waited for too long now," he spoke, seeming to stare at some invisible object in the ceiling.

Cypher, in the prism, was the only one paying attention to him. "What now, dude," he spoke, "going to blow up a few thousand more people for no good reason?" Evidently, Vincent's first course of action was unpopular even among the super villains.

"First of all," Vincent started, "that explosion only actually killed two people, since the actual explosion wasn't as powerful as I expected." Vincent shot a look at Dan, who immediately looked down and pretending to type in something at the super computer. Vincent started again, "That's not to say those two lost were tragic. Very tragic deaths, I admit, but one must focus on the greater good. And secondly, no. Hopefully not, that is."

Mastermind's attention was caught. "And so what is the big, grand purpose behind _this_ new escapade, Vinny?"

"Well," Vincent explained, "it's much more of a progress check then anything. I've given the Loonatics a little time to, ah, deal with the inevitably depressed roadrunner. I have a theory that his distraught will negatively effect the psyche of everyone else, throwing off their natural balance".

Unexpectedly, a small thump was heard from the back of the room.

"What was that?" Mastermind questioned.

Vincent dully glanced at the back end of the room. "That was probably nothing," Vincent spoke, "we have so much crap piled up back there, I'm slightly surprised things don't fall down more often."

"But what if that roadrunner guy's girlfriend is okay? I mean, do you even know if that bomb accomplished anything you wanted?" Cypher asked.

"She was never found," Vincent said.

"But how do you know?" Cypher followed up.

"First, because the police put out a search for her a couple of weeks ago, and the search has never been lifted since, so one can conclude that she's still missing. Second," Vincent paused, as if he had begun to say something, but then decided against it. "I just know," he concluded.

Dan glanced at Vincent with grave concern.

"Well, whatever," Cypher said, "so what exactly are you gonna do?"

Vincent smiled. "Well, that'll remain a surprise. But, surely, you will find out tomorrow."

Meanwhile, the Loonatics' first simulation practice since the bombing was complete. The Loonatics had gathered back in the living quarters, save Rev and Duck; the former had sulkily departed to his room, while the latter was out somewhere 'celebrating'. Tech plopped down on the couch to continue reading the latest edition of a certain Science & Mechanics journal, when the team's leader tapped Tech on the shoulder.

"Tech, sorry, could I have another word?" Ace asked.

Tech looked up at Ace in surprise. "Um, sure," he responded vaguely.

"Follow me into the kitchen, this needs to be private," Ace added.

"Um, okay." Tech said again, and followed suit. Ace did not usually ask for a private word; any information shared to one member of the team could be shared to all members of the team, he always said. Not this time, apparently.

They stopped in the kitchen, and Ace delved into the topic at hand immediately. "Something has to be done about Rev."

Tech sighed. "I know," he said, but he wished it wasn't so.

"I mean, the guy's been sulkin' around here for the last couple of weeks in general. But if that simulation has told us anything, he's no longer ready for any sorta fight."

"I suppose so," Tech conceded, "so what do you propose we do?"

"Well," Ace said, his expression much more grim, "the search for Shannon has been goin' on for weeks now."

"And nothing's been found," Tech nodded.

"Exactly. So, I think we have to assume the worst, now. Usually if someone's missin' for more than two weeks in this city, they're pretty much gone." Ace sighed. "And I seriously doubt when Rev realizes this, if he hasn't already, that'll make him feel any better."

Tech shook his head. "No, it wouldn't," Tech said. This morning had started out fantastically, but now everything was dark again. "Well, again, what should we do?"

"I think Rev needs to have a temporary leave from the team," Ace said.

"Like a vacation?"

"Eh, sorta…" Ace said, seeming a bit less at ease now.

"Well, that might do him so good," Tech said, "having him spend time with his family can't hurt. Maybe it'll stop him from being so transfixed with me, also."

Ace shook his head. "No, that's not the kind of… 'vacation' I had in mind."

Tech was confused. "What, then?"

"Tech, I really think Rev should see a shrink. A full-time shrink. Maybe just for a couple of weeks."

Tech gazed at the hare wide-eyed. "Do you mean have him _institutionalized?"_

"Well, that sounds a bit extreme for this," Ace said, "but face it, Tech. Rev isn't gonna get any better just by staying here, 'specially when he has to come to terms with Shannon. For him to really get better, I think he needs some professional aid".

Tech shook his head. "No, won't work".

"And why not?"

"Well, first of all, he'll never agree to it, especially in his current state. Second… look, chief, with all due respect, I think I know the guy better than you do. Having to go see a psychiatrist would really do a number on his psyche and his self-esteem, and thus affect his enthusiasm. And as I think we all know, Rev's enthusiasm is probably his greatest character strength in battle".

"Well, Tech, it's the only way he'll get over Shannon and out of this funk he's in right now. Once he does, I guarantee you he'll perform better than his train wreck of a performance today."

Tech was becoming slightly flushed. "Well, sure, he _might_ get over Shannon, but the damage to his self-confidence will be irrevocable! And face it, his confidence can be attributed at least in part to many of our victories."

Ace sighed. "Well, he'll still be in a lot better shape than he is now, _if _that were to happen. But sometimes we gotta do stuff we don't wanna do, and you know it". Ace looked extremely severe.

Tech sighed in defeat. "Fine," he said, "but he still has to agree to it. You, after all, are not his father or guardian or anything, and he's well into being a legal adult, anyway, and he has not done anything that would require obligatory sessions with a shrink, so he _must_ give his consent. And that's something I don't think he'll do."

"Yeah," Ace agreed, "that's where you come in".

"Excuse me?"

"Well, as you said yourself, he's pretty attached to you right now," Ace said. "If you can convince him that it's a good idea for him to go, I don't really think he'd say no, since it'd be coming from you."

"Ace, I don't think even _I_ can convince him to visit a shrink."

"Fine," Ace said in a somewhat irritated tone, "then tell him it's just some sessions that'll help him with his performance when he's in combat."

"Ace, that sounds _extremely_ deceitful."

"Well, it's more roundabout than deceitful. Cause when you think about it, his performance _will_ be positively affected after these meetings. At least, compared to now."

Tech shook his head once more. "Ace, are you _really _sure about this?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have asked you to do this for me," Ace said seriously.

Tech considered himself defeated. "Fine, I guess I'll go talk to him".

"Thanks, Tech," Ace said, "knew I could depend on you. Just tell him that I'm giving him the opportunity to have sessions to make him a better fighter, and that you think it's a good idea."

Tech nodded back in acknowledgement. Reluctantly, Tech made his way towards Rev's bedroom, and knocked on the door.

"Mrrfl," Rev replied.

Tech opened the door to see Rev lying down on the bed, merely staring up at the ceiling. Rev turned his head around to see the coyote enter.

"Oh, good, it's you," Rev said, "I was worried it was going to be Ace or someone else coming to scold me. You're not going to scold me are you?" The roadrunner was clearly worried.

"No, not at all," Tech said, "I just came by to see how you're feeling."

Rev smiled grimly. "Well, I've had my better days, haven't I?"

"I suppose so, yes," Tech said, nodding.

"Tech, am I ever going to see Shannon again?"

The question was very abrupt and unexpected, but required an immediate answer. "Well…" Tech started, but then he stopped to think. It was an explosion, not a flood or a tsunami. Shannon wouldn't have been simply carried away to some distant land by it. She had to have moved herself, or someone had to have moved her, and she was most likely alive at the time. Well, he supposed anything could have happened since, but he just had a strange hunch. He was very convinced that Shannon was still alive – he simply felt it, somehow, just as he knew that Rev was at the restaurant during the explosion. "Rev," Tech started again, "I wouldn't lose hope. I really believe that she is still alive out there, somewhere".

"But it's been so long, how can you be sure?"

"I guess I can't, but Rev, really, think about it, only two actually died in that explosion. And she wasn't found on the site at all. So, clearly, that explosion didn't kill her. It's more likely she's just somewhere recovering."

Rev sighed. "I guess you're right, but, Tech, I'm just so sick of all of this."

Tech couldn't stand to see Rev like this. He walked over to Rev's beside and knelt down to see Rev eye to eye. "Of course, I can't possibly comprehend what you're going through. But, Rev, I have a really, really strong feeling she'll be back soon enough. My hunches have never been proven wrong thus far."

Rev looked at Tech. "But are you sure?"

"You can trust me," Tech smiled, "I'm a super genius, after all".

Rev smiled meekly. "Yeah, a super genius who dropped a super magnet on his motherboard last week and completely corrupted the hard drive".

"Oh, yeah, like you've never had any accidents." Tech felt the mood of the room lift. "Did you see how you flew through the air when you tripped over that curb stone back there? For a second I thought roadrunners could naturally fly".

Rev sat up. "Ah, you're just jealous that you coyotes can't run as fast as us. I mean you guys could never quite catch up to us back in the old days could you?"

"No, but luckily technology has done wonders for us over the course of seven hundred years. I'm sure I could set up a foolproof entrapment system quite easily, in spite of your speed, had I the desire to eat you. But don't worry, I never would. You're _far_ too skinny. There'd be practically no meat there."

Rev stood. "Maybe I'm not so much skinny as you are fat doggy boy!"

"Oh, well that just settles it," Tech said, grinning like a playful child. He didn't know what had gotten into him. "I guess I'll just have make do with what's available." And, in spite of himself, he leapt at the roadrunner, but crashed to the floor as the roadrunner darted away in a red, transparent blur.

Rev stood off to the side, looking both triumphant and surprised at Tech's sudden spurt of playfulness. "Haha foiled again my furry friend I guess some things just never change!"

Tech got himself off of the floor feeling a bit abashed and self-conscious. He brushed dust off of his uniform and reserved himself. He realized how ridiculous he must have looked, and just broke out in laughter. "I suppose," he conceded, still laughing.

At this point, both were slightly perplexed at how quickly their moods changed. But they weren't complaining.

"Man I just have to pull off moves like that in practices and I'll be golden again," Rev added.

Tech's ears drooped slightly, along with his mood. That had just reminded him.

"Yeah, oh, and Rev," Tech started, sighing, "if Ace makes you an offer to have sessions with a trainer to make you improve your performance in combat…" Tech stopped.

"Yeah?" Rev asked.

Tech looked into Rev's eyes, now wide and full of life again. How could he possibly wish those eyes away again?

Tech shook his head. "If he offers, don't go along with it. I'm familiar with these 'courses', and they pretty much just go over stuff you already know. It'd just be a waste of time."

"Well if you say so," Rev said, dismissing the idea of taking any courses without a second thought. "Hey Tech I have to admit it's kind of boring just sitting around in here moping I think I should be productive maybe we should start working on the regenerator."

Tech smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I think that'd be a good idea."

"Then let's go!"

And thus the two set off to work on Tech's, or rather, _their_ latest project.


	13. A Beautiful Discord

_Before I begin this chapter, I'd just like to give a quick shout out to Lzsmith8, Liz, for taking them time to comment and review on pretty much every one of these chapters. Thanks! D_

_And now, onward._

The Fragile

Chapter 13: A Beautiful Discord

_"Love, we shine like a burning star, we're falling from the sky tonight. A man will rise and a man will fall from the sheer face of love like a fly on the wall – it's no secret at all."_

Both Rev and Tech had failed to go to sleep that night. When one is completely engrossed in a project, the prospect of finishing envelops them, rendering them unable to take a breather - exhaustion be damned. This exact conception engulfed both Tech and Rev that night as they went to work on Tech's regenerator.

The duo hadn't fully realized what an efficient team they made until that night. With the mixture of Tech's super-genius, Rev's super speed and both of their know-hows, the two worked at a much faster rate than Tech had initially projected. Sure, the two had collaborated on technological projects in the past, but usually Rev played the role of the mere assistant. Now the two were equals – neither one any less important or essential than the other was. The results was nearly perfect compatibility – by the time the first rays of morning sunlight struck the HQ tower, the two were done.

It was still early by most of the team's standards – 6:30 am – but Tech and Rev decided it was too late to go to bed, so they decided to make their way over the living quarters to wind down. Upon their arrival, they plopped down onto the nearest available sofa.

"I still can't believe we got it all done in one night I mean I thought that would take weeks or something and man my hands are sore but I guess 16 hours of working with small delicate instruments will do that to you but the point is we got it done and do you really think it will work now?"

"Well, it's not exactly easy to test, of course. It's not like someone will volunteer to be part of an experiment where they may or may not come out of it alive. Maybe we'll get some small insect or something to test it on later, I don't know, but I think we're done for now."

"That's good because man I'm pretty tired though I think I'm going to go make us some coffee how about double espressos huh what do you say?"

"Oh jeez, you with a double espresso?"

"Hmm maybe you're right maybe I'll only go with a single but I sure need a pick-me-up right now because man I'm exhausted!"

"Even a single sounds like treading on dangerous waters. And for being exhausted, you're talking quite rapidly."

"Well I always talk rapidly even when I'm tired in fact I bet if I talked in my sleep I'd also talk pretty rapidly and you know its always puzzled me now sleep talking I can kind of understand I mean if you're screaming something in your dream it makes sense that you would mouth it aloud too but what's with sleep walking? I mean I can't imagine climbing out of bed going to the kitchen and making myself the sandwich using all of the food we have left without waking up and you know what I'm starting to think Duck's story there might not be true."

"Ah, I thought I heard some yammerin' in here."

Tech and Rev jumped. Ace Bunny approached from behind, making his way over to the chair directly across from the sofa in which the coyote and roadrunner had occupied. Ace usually woke up particularly early in order to practice his martial arts via a private simulator. However, he wasn't used to someone being up with him.

"So why are you two up so early?"

"Oh actually we never went to bed we were just working on this really cool new invention of Tech's called the Regenerator and oh well you'll eventually see how it works but we got it all done in one night which is sort of like record time of course I haven't really been keeping track when push comes to shove the point is it's all done we think!" Rev was beaming.

Most of Rev's dialog seemed to fly over Ace's head, as he sat wide eyed. "Um, okay, can I get a translation for that?"

"We never got to sleep last night because we were working on something in the lab," Tech affirmed, "now it's done - aside from the preliminary testing, of course."

"Oh, well, that's good," Ace said smiling, "and judgin' by Rev's mood here, he's taken the news pretty well."

Rev turned to Ace, puzzled. "What news?"

Ace's smile faded, and then he turned to Tech. "Tech, did you tell him?"

Rev too turned to Tech. "Tell me what?"

Tech started laughing very nervously. "Ace, can I have a word with you in private?" Tech asked with a painful smile.

"Oh come on guys just tell me this 'news' it obviously involves me somehow."

Ace turned to Rev. "We will, right after I have a word with your pal here."

"Oh come on! Just tell me please please please please _please_?"

"In a minute, Rev. Just sit down," Tech said impatiently.

"Why are you telling me what to do you're not my father!"

"Rev, if you sit down for just a few minutes, I'll let you have a single espresso," Tech replied.

"Well okay then I'll be good." Rev sat down obediently.

"There, now that _that's_ settled, a word, Tech," Ace said, and the two set off alone and entered the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, chief," Tech started immediately, "I couldn't do it. He was in a cheerful mood, and I couldn't just lie to him and trick him into being institutionalized."

"Look, Tech," Ace said sympathetically, "I know you're worried about him. And I still think 'institutionalize' is a strong word for this; I mean, he'd just be in a ward for a couple of weeks with a therapist who'll help him get over his funk."

"What funk? He's clearly not depressed right now."

"Yeah, because he spent time with you all night! He's okay when it's just you, but with anyone else he just breaks down again! That's not healthy, Tech. Again, I know you're worried about him there, but it's for the best."

"I don't want him to go because I'm 'worried' about him, I don't want him to go because I legitimately think this won't work! I've said this before, but I'll say it again, having to be institutionalized – yes, Ace, I would still call it being institutionalized – will leave a permanent scar on his self-confidence! He'll be in the mindset that if anything bad happens to him, he'll have to see a professional about it. So despite whether or not he gets cured of this, as you call it, 'funk', the permanent damage will be irrevocable!"

Ace had never seen Tech so worked up about anything before. Tech was almost fuming at this point, and while such a sight intimidated Ace, he eventually responded to it with his own irritation.

"Look, I don't want to come off as some sort tyrant or nothin', but I _am_ the boss around here, and sometimes I have to make orders, whether you like it or not. And I'm afraid I'm going to have to _order_ you to convince Rev to go. Do it any way you'd like. He just has to get there."

"First of all, Zadavia is our ultimate boss, and second of all –"

What came second was forever unknown, as the lights dimmed down and red-flashing lights filled the tower, accompanied by wailing sirens.

Zadavia's voice boomed through the walls of headquarters. "Loonatics, meet at the conference table at _once_. There is an emergency situation at hand."

Ace and Tech rushed back to the living area and made towards the conference table, where Rev was already waiting anxiously. Upon meeting, the three did not speak, but merely awaiting further news as well as their other teammates in silence.

Lexi was the fourth to come to the table, her hair slightly mussed as she ran her fingers through it, not having ample opportunity to fix herself up.

Slam was next, rubbing his eyes and making his way slowly towards the conference table. He was not as alert as the others, but was soon to be.

Finally, Duck emerged from his room extremely grumpily. "I swear, whoever's causing trouble this time's _really_ gonna get it," he said, scowling, "what's a duck gotta do to get some decent rest?! Sheesh."

Zadavia's figure appeared in the middle of the table. "Loonatics, there's been a great disturbance around the Greenspoint area. A monstrous coyote hybrid has been released from a very exclusive and classified laboratory. It is unknown how the beast escaped, but it's wreaking havoc in the neighborhood. Confine and detain this creature at once before it can do any serious damage. Zadavia out." And her figure disappeared.

Ace stood before the five. "You heard her, guys. Greenspoint. Rev, you stay behind and look after the tower. The rest of you, let's jet."

Slam, Duck, and Lexi took off without a word. Ace and Tech were about to follow, when a voice of protest came from behind.

"No."

Tech and Ace turned around to see Rev, looking strangely aggressive and bold. Anger was rare for the roadrunner, so both of them started back in surprise.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Ace finally asked.

"I mean I'm not just going to stand around here and do nothing again I want to go out and help!"

Ace sighed. "Look, Rev, we don't have time for this. You haven't been doin' well lately, and if that simulation yesterday tells me anything-"

"Aw yesterday doesn't mean anything my heart wasn't into at the time but now I really _really_ want to do this Ace I feel ready prepared and confident what else do you want from me?"

Ace grew all the more impatient. "Look, Rev, you didn't do well today so I don't fully trust you today! Nothing personal, but could you just stay behind just this once?"

"What do you mean 'just this once' I get left out of these missions more than anyone I mean I hardly ever get to do anything even when I _am_ on a mission but as time went on I was just assigned the 'look out' more and more and frankly I'm really tired of it do you have something against me or something?"

Ace was now uncharacteristically furious. "Rev, just for once in your life, shut your yap! Frankly, I've had it up to here with both of ya. Yes, both of ya. All you two do now is skulk around in that lab and forget that we're a _team_ here, not a duo! And look at the damage it's done already! I'm still here arguing with you while I should be out there trying to detain a huge monster! And Rev, it's not my fault if you don't have any real offensive powers to use in battle, just as it's not my fault that you've been so out of it lately! So please, for the sake of Greenspoint and Acmetropolis, give it a rest and let us do our job!"

The last sentence sobered Rev's perspective a little, and he conceded. "Fine," Rev said, sitting down. "For the sake of Acmetropolis."

"Come on, Tech, let's go already," Ace said, and he grabbed a jet pack from the nearby shelf and flew away.

Tech looked up at Ace's figure and growled. Then he turned around and looked at Rev, who looked more dejected than ever before.

"Rev, I'm sorry, but I really should-"

"Yeah, I know," Rev cut off.

Tech looked sadly at Rev once more, then activated his jet pack and followed Ace's suit.

Meanwhile, Lexi, Duck and Slam were struggling against the creature. The monster coyote, while not causing too much damage as of yet, was rampaging through the streets at unbelievable speed. The beast had glistening, rumpled brown fur, a few cuts here and there, sharp, yellowish prominent fangs, and extremely threatening black claws on its feet. The three struggled to keep up with it in the air, much less make any sort attempt to stop it.

"Damn it, where are the others?!" Duck yelled in frustration. "A guy can only do so much here."

"No kidding," Lexi agreed, "this isn't going anywhere. I never realized how much we depended on Tech's gadgets, but we need one of those now."

"Rughghg ommina go," Slam said, and transformed into a raging twister. He threw himself at the coyote, and actually successfully tripped the monster up with his sheer force. It came tumbling down to the ground.

"Wow, nice one, Slam!" Lexi shouted.

"Grrgblb thank you," Slam replied, smiling.

"Okay, Lexi, quick, do something!" Duck shouted.

"Ah, of course, down to me once again. Alright, big guy, taste my brain blast." Lexi made to blast the beast, but then the monster reared his head up and turned to Lexi, with a look of pure carnal fury.

"Mother," Duck said, nervously, "the last time I saw that look was when Tech caught me looking at those websites on his computer."

Lexi, still caught off guard from the beast's intimidating nature, had to dodge quickly out of the way as the coyote lunged at her, missing her by near inches. And, once again, the beast ran haphazardly through the streets.

"Shoot, we missed him!" Lexi said. "Well, let's follow again."

The three followed in pursuit of the monster yet again, when Lexi turned to Duck. "Wait, what websites?"

Duck's cheeks went strangely red. "Eh heh heh, that doesn't matter now, does it?"

Lexi gave Duck a knowing smirk, and continued on.

"Why does this thing even_ exist_, anyway? I mean, who was the genius who said, 'hey, let's take a dangerous canine and blow it up to 50 times it's usual size! It'll be great! We'll have tea parties with it, hug it, love it and call it George!'" Duck ranted, gesturing towards the coyote.

"Not now, Duck," Lexi said, "let's just focus our efforts on getting this thing.

With that, Lexi aimed a brain blast at the creature, but instead missed and hit a shop window, which shattered accordingly.

"Nice aiming, sharp shooter," Duck commented.

"Oh, shut up," Lexi said. However, she was now afraid to use any more of her powers. "Man, when will the others gets here?!"

Just then, a symphony of gunfire was heard from below, coming from every which way. Every shot was aimed at the coyote, and upon a close glance the coyote could be seen with copious amounts of tranquilizer bullets embedded into his coat. The beast slowed down, drooped slowly, then completely collapsed.

"Huh?" Slam said, looking down for the source of the bullets. Duck and Lexi did the same, and as if the shooters had sensed their inquiry, a large number of men in black emerged from the corners, nooks and crannies of shops. The Acmetropolis SWAT team.

The three Loonatics present descended from the air and landed near the nearest SWAT van. Duck looked around for one of the members, and when he found one, he stormed up to him.

"Hey, what's the big idea here?" Duck asked, "we were just getting started here!"

Lexi, standing off on the side, shook her head.

"It didn't look like you guys were doing much of anything," the man in the black uniform responded. "We had to take matters into our own hands here. And it worked, so what are you complaining about?"

"Oh…" Duck said sheepishly, "nothing, I guess." Then he scowled again, thinking of the two tardy members of their team.

As if on cue, Tech and Ace showed up on the spot, both of them looking quite disgruntled.

"What happened here?" Ace asked Lexi.

"It's under control," Lexi sighed.

"Oh, so you were successful?"

"No, the SWAT team took care of it. We couldn't do anything. Where were you guys?"

Ace scowled at Tech, who accordingly scowled back.

"Okay, don't want to know right now," Lexi said, putting up her hands up. "Maybe we should just head back," she continued.

"Yeah, that's probably for the best," Ace said, "come on, guys, let's jet."

And the five took off in the air, disheartened by their failure.


	14. Somewhat Damaged

The Fragile

The Fragile

Chapter 14: Somewhat Damaged

_"Sometimes you can't make it on your own."_

Vincent Cavanagh sat perched atop a cold, metallic stool, eyes transfixed upon the small portable television placed in front of him. Sipping coffee, he smiled positively from ear to ear. Indeed, he was filled with such an immense sense of self-satisfaction, which grew larger with each single frame the television emitted.

"Perfect," he said, taking another sip. His brother, Danny, was fiddling with something in his workspace, seemingly unfazed, if not a little apathetic, towards the whole matter at hand.

Slowly, to the offside, a few of the captive villains got themselves up from the floor, where they slept each night. One might feel sympathetic towards their rough living conditions, were it not for the qualifier that they were, indeed, super villains.

Mastermind was the first up, and, she being so eager to point out any personality flaws she saw in her ultimate captor, immediately started to chastise Vincent.

"Well, I don't know if that coffee is laced with amphetamines, Vinny, but you certainly seemed to go ape-crazy over something. Perhaps another product of your pseudo-villainous-prowess?"

"Ah, and good morning to you, sunshine," Vincent responded curtly. "Why, yes, I am 'ape crazy'. It's the Loonatics' biggest failure yet - bigger than I could have ever possibly imagined."

"Now, now, Vinny, I know you like to be all, how shall I say it, 'mystical' and 'mysterious' about your doings, but please, just stop being a total pain and just spit it out!"

"Very well," Vinny said, flipping off the television. "As I said yesterday, I decided to do a progress check on my plans – a nice little mission for the Loonatics. Nothing too complicated, either. My brother's teleportation system is simply marvelous, by the way. With it, he can pretty much zap me anywhere I want, and zap me back without a trace of my presence. Anyway, as I said, the idea was pretty simple; I snuck into a genetic engineering laboratory near Greenspoint, and simply released a giant mutant coyote.

"Admittedly, I did choose the coyote for a reason. You see, I've been watching the Loonatics through their own security cameras. That Tech fellow has them pretty secure from outside intruders, though; it took a hell of a lot for my brother to hack into them, and we could only watch for 10 minutes at a time before the system overrode our intrusion. But, nonetheless, I have noticed what has been going on. That roadrunner has been clinging on to that coyote as if for dear life. He's practically in love with the fellow. So, oh, I don't know, I just thought it'd be a little amusing to see how the roadrunner would react to a giant mutant coyote trying to gobble him up. It might have scared him properly straight. Because that creature _would_ be all over him like white on rice, given the coyote's feral attraction to the roadrunner as a source for food.

"But, alas, the roadrunner did not come. A smart choice on the leader's part, perhaps. Nevertheless, the whole mission was a complete failure. Normally, capturing a loose, crazy animal would have been a mere flash in the pan for those six - practically routine. But they couldn't do _anything_, and the SWAT had to take it all over. I mean, I simply thought they would have had a little more trouble doing it, what with all the havoc that's going on between them right now, but I never imagine that they'd _completely_ fail this soon! These critters are even more fragile than I thought.

"It did not help them, too, that the coyote and head hare showed up late, seemingly angry with each other. Oh, I observed the whole thing through cameras. I don't know the whole situation exactly, but I can gander a guess – the head hare won't let the roadrunner do anything, and the coyote, being such a faithful companion, is angry with that. Maybe the roadrunner's angry too, I'm not completely sure.

"One thing I do know for sure, though, is that there is little more I need to do now. They are already vulnerable enough, and will probably be made even _more _vulnerable after this failure. Indeed, the time to strike is soon."

After Vincent's lengthy soliloquy, Mastermind applauded derisively. "Goody gosh, Vinny! Finally, I might be out of here soon. I must take this opportunity to congratulate you, though, for building such a secure prison here. I have to admit, I thought I could penetrate it relatively easily, but I've been helpless to do anything."

"Well, thank you for your concession," Vincent replied, smiling, "but all props go to my brother on that one. To be quite honest, I'm not that good with designing, just planning".

"Ah yes, your master plan. What was that again Vinny? Placing a bomb in the middle of some restaurant and watching what happens? Very innovative, indeed."

"I admit," Vincent said, frowning, "that none of this was as devious as I thought it would be. But surely you do not think that I had a little bit of fun on the side?"

Mastermind was puzzled. "Come again?"

"Ah, well, you see," Vincent started ominously. "The Duck. Even with the little footage of the Loonatics' headquarters I've seen I've noticed he's been very, very mysterious and secretive. So I've been tracking him around, and it turns out, every couple of days or so, he goes into the same mysterious, shabby building every night."

Mastermind stared curiously. "I'm intrigued," she said, listening intently.

"Glad to hear it. Well, so I started doing some snooping. Again, much props to my brother's teleportation system. Well, in this building, I found out some very, very interesting things about this mallard. Things I never knew before, and things he's currently up to. Things that were very… personal. I almost feel bad. But anyway, I couldn't resist the urge to mess with this egomaniac a little. Sometime during the week, some of his, ah, 'research' may have accidentally gotten a ride through the incinerator". Vincent smiled deviously.

"If I may ask," Mastermind interjected, "what is this 'research'?"

"Oh," Vincent smiled, "you'll likely find out soon enough. For now, let's just wait for tempers to rise more, then our final attack will be initiated. So be prepared, it's almost time. We're coming."

--

The five Loonatics slowly trudged their ways back to headquarters, and upon arriving, did not speak; at least, not initially. Duck was the first to make some sort of verbal move. He flipped out his cell phone, kept protected in a hidden pocket in his latex suit, and speed-dialed a number, moving furtively towards the window to get some privacy. No one knew who he was calling, nor did they care. They simply sulked on the furniture, contemplating their shortcomings.

Rev, who had evidently previously departed to his room, emerged upon noticing the introduction of new sounds. The roadrunner's presence finally evoked Ace, resting his head on his fist, elbow to knee, to speak.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that we didn't do anything."

On the contrary, the roadrunner did not look happy, but worried. "So that thing is still on the loose?"

"No, the SWAT team had to come in and fix it all up," Ace shot back, now rising, "no thanks to you, Doc."

Rev was slightly surprised at this shot. "Oh so now you're going to blame this all on me even though I wasn't even _there_ by _your orders?_"

"No, it was cause of your resistance to _take_ orders. You made me and your pal Tech late for the action, and the three of them were helpless to do anythin' by themselves! If you'd just had the respect to just sit out quietly, we would've had it easily!"

"Oh," Rev said, his anger being replaced by guilt. Searing, painful guilt.

"Yeah, 'oh'," Ace said, continuing to shoot Rev scornful looks. "What was your grand inspiration for that little speech, anyway? Tech over there?"

"Leave him out of this," Rev said slightly threateningly, "and no. Frankly I've been peeved about how I'm usually neglected around here for the longest time! I mean what do you guys see me as? Only useful as a hyperactive bird that can generate electricity when the power's out? I mean I know that I probably didn't pick the best time to bring that up but I had to let it out _eventually_ I knew it since me and Shannon talked about –"

Ace's shot at Tech had initially gained Rev back some strength in the self-defense department, but all of the sudden he felt guilty and rather depressed once again.

"I'm so sorry, Ace. I really didn't mean to blow it for everyone. I shouldn't have questioned your authority like that, it was really immature, and I want to do all I can to make it up-"

Ace cut him off, apparently still extremely peeved. "I'm not sure how well I can take your 'sorry's anymore, Rev. You've made your true feelings bright and clear. Did ya ever even consider that I also might not have wanted you to go because it was a giant _coyote_ we were facing? Dat thing would have ignored all of us and went straight for you."

Rev hadn't made this distinction, being rather accustomed to non-feral coyotes, and now felt even guiltier.

"Dat's what I thought. Frankly, Rev, you don't seem to be a team player anymore. You haven't for weeks. And I don't know if you should even be on this team anymore."

Tech, observing from the side, had had enough.

"Just back off, Ace," Tech said, growling.

Ace turned to Tech. "Ooh, and here comes the boyfriend on the defensive."

"Hah! Shows how mature _you_ are, making little comments like that. Anyway, you're just precariously angry right now; you won't mean any of what you just said later on. That said, I'd like you to apologize to Rev now".

"Don't be so sure of that, Doc," Ace said, "truth is, I've been considerin' it for weeks. He's just not workin' out well with us anymore, and his little temper tantrum back there just really pushed it."

"A 'temper tantrum' righteously delivered, I may add. You cannot deny that Rev has been neglected in battle more than any of us. You cannot seriously say he's not a 'team player' if he just wants to help more! Also, you _know_ he's been through a lot lately. I find it _extraordinarily_ unjust for you to judge his motives as a whole based on a _temporary_ post-traumatic stress condition, and one received from such an overwhelming incident, at that!"

"A condition that can be treated by sending him for help! I swear Tech, you're a smart guy, but you can be so thick-headed at times."

"And can _you_ get it through your thick head you're doing absolutely _nothing_ to help him right now?" Tech glanced over at Rev, who was looking back at him, teary-eyed. Such an expression fired up the coyote all the more. "He was offering you a _sincere_ apology, one, in my opinion, he need not even _give_, and then you shoot back and tell him he shouldn't be a part of the team?! Let me just tell you this, Ace, I used to have nothing but gratuitous respect for you, but, within the last couple of days, you've drained all of that respect into a mere puddle, that's quickly evaporating. And let me tell you one more thing; I'd much sooner take orders from Rev than from you."

The coyote finally stopped his rant, which seemed to hit the hare particularly hard. Lexi and Slam, observing on their feet from the back of the room, were mortified by the entire discord.

Unexpectedly, Ace slammed his fist down on the nearest table.

"Ace!" Lexi shouted, but Ace paid her no mind. He stormed out of the room and into his own room, slamming doors as he went.

Tech followed suit, seeking refuge within his own lab, leaving Lexi, Slam and Rev in the middle of the room.

Rev felt hopelessly exposed under the eyes of Slam and Lexi, and he could think of absolutely nothing to say to them at this moment. As a result, he got up and slowly followed Tech into his laboratory.

The sliding door bade Rev entrance, and he walked into the lab to see Tech hastily gathering up some supplies to put back into storage. He turned around to see the roadrunner standing in front of the doorway with teary, needful eyes still.

"Ace is just in a bad place right now," Tech started, "he's just being really irrational, all of the things he said are ridiculous, and you know it. In a few hours or a few days, I think he'll come around and see-"

Tech's words of comfort were broken off by a practically bone-shattering hug from Rev. It was an embrace of utmost gratitude and platonic affection, something Tech was not used to. He was not the touchy type, either; that was a given. But, in spite of any of his earlier habits, Tech slowly returned the huge, and even smiled a little.

--

Back in the living quarters, Lexi and Slam still stood boggled by what had just happened; a volcanic eruption of anger none of them had ever witnessed between teammates before. Duck stood on the far side of the room, gazing out the window, still talking on his cell phone.

"Wow," Lexi said to Slam, "rough day, huh?"

"Grrllbbl really bad," Slam said sadly, letting out a sigh.

"Well, it can't get any worse, can it?"

Just then, another outburst of sound erupted from the far side of the room; Duck.

"**What do you mean, you just 'lost it'?!"** Duck positively screamed into the receiver. **"Do you have ANY IDEA how important all of this is to me?! After all the money I've spent, where the hell do you get off-"** He paused for a second, presumably listening to a reply, and then continued. **"Well, I certainly don't know what's going over there either?! All I know is that **_**months**_** of progress is now just flushed down the drain! And it's not like I have money growing on trees here, I don't get paid for any of this!" **He paused once more. **"Well, same to you!"** Duck hung up as violently as he could on a cell phone, and stormed back toward the center of the room.

"Duck!" Lexi shouted, surprised, "what was all of that about?"

"None of your business," Duck grunted curtly, and, like Ace, stormed to his room.

"Holy crap," Lexi commented, "everyone's gone crazy today."

Just then, a buzzer rang, indicating that someone far below wanted entrance to the tower.

"Ugh, what now," Lexi said bitterly, "a reporter looking for a fresh angle on our screw-up?" Hastily, she moved from her position next to Slam, and went to answer the buzz.

"Hello?"

A female voice replied back over the intercom. "Hey, can you let me up? I just got out, and it's kind of urgent."

"I'm sorry, who is this?" Lexi asked.

"Oh, pardon me," the voice replied, "it's Shannon."


	15. Fragments of Faith

The Fragile

The Fragile

Chapter 15: Fragments of Faith

"Rev, get out here right now!" Lexi shouted with utmost urgency. This was certainly a turn of events that none of them had expected. Shannon, the girl who'd been missing for weeks on end with nearly no end in sight, suddenly shows up right on their doorstep?

As commanded, Rev appeared in the room somewhat reluctantly, as if apprehensive that he might be in from a scolding.

Lexi, sensing this, clarified. "Don't worry, Rev, you're not about to get told off. Come here, quick! It's amazing!"

"Uh, can I come up now?" the intercom spoke again.

Rev recognized the sweet, melodic tones of the voice immediately.

"SHANNON?!" he rushed over to the intercom. "Oh my God oh my God oh my God Shannon it's really you Shannon where have you been what's happened to you are you hurt I've been worried sick about you I can't believe you're back I've been thinking about you everyday and many I just-"

Out of absolute necessity, Lexi slammed Rev's beak shut with her left hand. "I'm sorry, Rev, I know you're excited, but let's let her up."

"Mmphkay."

"Haha, I see someone's excited to see me," Shannon said from the other end. Lexi released the security locks. "Thanks, I'm coming up now."

For the two minutes or so it took for Shannon her trudge her way to the top in the all-too-slow elevator, seconds were hours to Rev. The scintillating taste of anticipation had fully enveloped him, as well as excitement and, admittedly, a tiny bit of nervousness. He thought he'd explode from all of these feelings; Shannon could not come soon enough. And when she did, Rev transformed into a red blur, and reappeared in a deep hug with Shannon.

"Oh my gosh I've missed you soooo much what happened to you?!" Rev broke the hug, and looked deeply at Shannon, eyes wide with a mixture of childish glee and concerned curiosity.

At this moment, Tech emerged from his lab to see what the ruckus was about, and stood wide-eyed at the unexpected appearance of Shannon. Ace followed soon after, with the same reaction.

"Shannon?!" Ace shouted, "you're alive?!"

"A little weak," Shannon replied, "and in need of a good bed, but otherwise, yes, I'm quite alive," Shannon said contently.

"Well, are you going to tell us what kept you so long or not?" a new voice questioned. Duck, too, couldn't resist visiting the revelatory congregation.

Shannon giggled slightly at her attention. "Well, okay, since you're all here, I might as well divulge everything."

The six Loonatics circled around Shannon, with Rev still standing at her side, paying particularly close attention to her experience.

"Okay, well, I'm sure you all know, the restaurant that we went to got blown up. Kabloowie. Well, I got knocked around a bit, and I lost my teddy bear, but otherwise I was fine. Just a few scratches and bruises here and there. But, as you'd probably guess, it was definitely not over.

"I began to look around for Rev, to make sure he was alright, and maybe help some other people, too. But it wasn't three seconds into my searching that I was tackled onto the ground, and knocked on the head with some sort of blunt object. Well, needless to say, that wasn't very pleasant. I didn't quite pass out, but I was dazed enough to be stuffed into a sack. Imagine that? A _sack_. It was as if this whole thing was planned just to kidnap me.

"Well, I was carried around for a while, when all the sudden I felt this weird warping sensation, and I felt the setting around me change real suddenly. Did I teleport? I'm not sure. But that's not the point, it's where I ended up.

"I was finally emptied out of the sack into some real huge box thing, like some sort of metallic crate. It was really, really cold, but, you know, after weeks of sitting around in there you get used to it. Anyway, I was shut up immediately, and then I heard some voice tell me that I was to keep quiet the entire time, or else I would be killed. Jeez, talk about harsh! I have to say, that voice sound pretty familiar.

"Anyway, I was in there for a while. The only time I ever saw light was through the tiny, tiny oxygen holes on the side near the bottom and whenever the lid was lifted when I was fed bread and water. It was like being in a really, really bad prison movie. Although, I still wonder why I was kept so secret. I mean, I heard everything that went on in there. It seemed like there were at least twenty something people and all, and based on the stuff they said, none of them seemed to be up to any good anyway. But it went on like this for weeks - mal-nourishment, darkness and oxygen deprivation. It wasn't pretty!

"Well, one day I was just sitting there, what a surprise, when all the sudden the lid cracks open. I thought this was just another one of my feeding times, but surprising, in plummeted a little watch, a little note, a key, and a flashlight. Well, that wasn't a puzzle that was so hard to solve. With the flashlight, I read the note, which read, and I quote:

_'You can escape. Look to the upper right hand corner of the lightest wall. You'll see a little flap. Open it, and you'll find a keyhole. Between the hours of 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., use the given key to get yourself out of there. When you leave, run straight out and don't look around. Just run.'_

_"_Needless to say, I was pretty thrilled. I had lost track of how long I had been in there, and I was just itching for that 2 o'clock hour to come around. I waited for a few minutes after, to make sure I wasn't caught, and then I followed the instructions exactly. And it worked, obviously. I got myself right out of there. I still don't know who wrote that note or anything, but whoever they are, they're my hero right now.

"Well, anyway, as I was running out, I couldn't help but notice I was in a strange, strange warehouse. I should have looked around some more, I think, but I just did as I told and ran straight out. I think someone might have seen me, I heard some voices shouting after me, but I didn't turn back. I just ran out the door and felt the first rays of daylight on me in what seemed like forever.

"But, like an idiot, I forget to check the address of the stupid place. I just ran as fast as I could towards your huge tower here. It's kind of like the Northern Star of this whole metropolitan area, you know. I seemed to run in a northeasterly direction, though, if that helps."

The six Loonatics simply stood in shock and awe at Shannon, without letting a word pass through them. Finally, the team's leader spoke.

"We'll get to track down the villains in a sec," Ace said comfortingly, in stark contrast to his earlier behavior. "I'm just glad you're alright right now! I guess we can call off the search now."

"Oh wow, you guys put out a search for me? Wow, I feel embarrassed," Shannon said, abashed.

"Don't, it was simply routine, if anything. Besides, some of us were missing you pretty badly," Tech added, with a faint smile.

Rev took this opportunity to finally speak. "You bet some of us were missing you Shannon that was horrible what happened to you and I can't believe I just sat around and just let it happen I'm so sorry Shannon but are you okay now do you need anything?"

Shannon smiled. "I'm fine, now, just being out of that God forsaken box. Thanks, though. But Rev? I think I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure anything, anything at all whatever it is you want to tell me I'm listening!"

Shannon turned to face the rest of the group.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry, I don't mean to shove you off or anything, but can I talk to Rev about something in private real quick?"

"Sure, Shan, we'll get out of your way," Lexi said, beckoning the other Loonatics to come along with her. When the others were a safe distance away from the two, Shannon spoke once again.

"It's about us, I'm afraid," she said somewhat reluctantly, but with determination and some urgency.

"Oh," said Rev, disheartened, sensing bad news.

"Yeah, it's just," Shannon paused, "I don't think it could ever work out. I mean, I really like you and all, and I still do, but just, all this?"

"Shannon I swear nothing like that's ever happened before I mean Lexi goes on dates all the time and Duck too supposedly but nothing bad ever happens to them this was just a freak accident!"

"Well, all I know is that my first date ended with me being assaulted, kidnapped and stuffed in a box," Shannon said somewhat irritably.

Rev looked crush, staring down at the ground, formulating some sort of apology.

"I'm sorry, Rev," Shannon said quickly, with a much more sympathetic tone, "that was harsh. But I don't know, I was targeted for some reason, and I think it had all to do with me being with you. You're a huge rockstar figure, after all, who super villains despise. And I just don't feel, fully safe going out with you after an incident like that. I mean, I know it's not your fault, I know you wouldn't let anything like that happen to me if you could help it. But I have a feeling stuff like this _can't_ be helped, you know," Shannon said sadly.

"Yeah, I guess," Rev replied, just as morosely. "I understand. And I shouldn't make you be in a situation where you feel like you're in danger. I mean, what would that make me?"

"Rev, you're talking so slow, please don't feel bad," Shannon pleaded. "All things considered, we're still friends forever, right?"

Rev smiled meekly. "I guess that'll never change."

"Again, I'm really, really sorry. But I think we'd be much better off as just friends, you know?"

"Yeah," Rev conceded, "just friends."

"Friends?" Shannon asked, extending a pinky.

Rev forced another meek smile. "Friends," he agreed, interlocking his finger with he'rs. After they broke off, Shannon gave him a quick hug, and scooted off to be with the others.

Rev stayed behind, and gazed out a nearby window. He knew his feelings of grief were selfish, that he shouldn't put Shannon in a position where she feels threatened. But he couldn't shake off the feelings.

The world outside looked much uglier than it had a month ago.


	16. Lifting Shadows Off A Dream

The Fragile

The Fragile

Chapter 16: Lifting Shadows off A Dream

Rev continued looking out of the window and into the world beyond. He painted a picture of the scene into his mind; committed it to memory. Then, with an odd sense of determination, he closed his eyes and tried to picture the scene devoid of any conflicts, any troubles, any sadness. What was left, he found, was nothing, and everything; a barren field, where nature stirred quietly, quietly humming the songs of long ago. Where had everything gone wrong?

Rev opened his eyes, and turned around, seeing her once again, lingering amongst the rest of his friends. Evidently, Rev was no longer special to her. No more special, at least, than anyone else. What had changed? Rev couldn't bear to take witness to the scene any longer. He made refuge to Tech's lab, as he had done many times before.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the team, Tech's lab contained a secret latch, which opened a seven by nine-foot section of the wall on the far side of the room. The unveiling of the metallic barrier revealed the world below, peering beyond a small balcony. Tech secretly used this balcony to get some fresh air when the confines of his lab were starting to nearly suffocate him. Tech tried to keep it a secret, even from Rev, but Rev had inevitably discovered it quite some time ago, given all the time he spent in the lab. He hadn't told anyone else about it, though, and this terrace was just what he needed right now.

Unleashing the latch located on the leftmost part of his work desk, Rev watched the wall open up to the world with several loud clunks, and stepped outside. Cool wind whipped his face, bringing forth the same sensations and sense of freedom his ancestors likely felt. He wished he could remain out here forever.

Meanwhile, Tech remained behind in living quarters, along with all the others. He merely glanced at the others visiting with Shannon; the wonder girl who magically returned from the dead. In all honestly, he had little to say to her. His mind was elsewhere – the details of Shannon's story. Something was obviously significant about the hours between 2 and 4 p.m., but _what? _And she had said the place looked rather like a warehouse, and that it may or may not have been southwest of headquarters. However, the location seemed less significant than the _how _she was captured. It seemed as though the whole motive behind the explosion, now, was merely to capture her and hold her captive for some weeks, until she was released. What was the point of that? Was someone trying to get to them, Rev specifically?

Where _was _Rev?

Tech had initially failed to notice that Rev was not among the group chatting it up with Shannon. This didn't make sense; he was positively exhilarated at the first sight of her. Now, all of the sudden, he wasn't even in the room? This indicated something very wrong. He had been heartbroken over her for weeks – why wouldn't he be with her right now?

Wondering why he hadn't seen Rev leave the room in the first place, Tech excused him self from the group, relatively unnoticed, and went in search of Rev. First he checked his room, only to find it empty. Well, there was really only one other place he'd go, unless he took after Duck and went outside of HQ for hours at a time.

Tech made his way over to his laboratory, to find the door already open. A warm breeze swept over his body as he walked in, ruffling his fur, and he noticed immediately an unusual source of natural light at the end of the room. There he saw him; leaning over the railing clearly disheartened by something. Out of unquenched curiosity, Tech paced over to join the roadrunner, who, at first, barely acknowledged his presence.

Rev continued to stare out into God knows what. By the weary, sullen look in his eyes, Tech knew that something had gotten to him badly. Which was, still, extremely odd - he was about to pass out from excitement not ten minutes ago.

It was then that he had remembered that Shannon had to have a "private talk" with Rev. The source of Rev's pain undeniably stemmed from that. But, clearly, he wasn't going to start talking about what happen without some sort of provocation.

"So," the coyote began, "you found about my balcony."

This finally caused Rev's head to turn. "Yeah," he replied, smiling slightly, "actually I found out about it a few months ago."

"And yet I've never seen you use it, save now," Tech said, pondering. "Usually you'd be very quick to rummage through my things without any sort of permission."

Rev merely shrugged, and went back to surveying the planet as they could see it. Tech clearly had to get to the heart of the matter.

"Is everything okay between you and Shannon?"

The roadrunner recoiled slightly at this question. At first, he began to nod his head very slowly and reluctantly, but then rapidly shook his head no. He then threw his arms up in the air, as if telling the sky he gave up.

"Oh, I don't know Tech, one moment everything makes sense and the next you're confused again it's like one of those really complicated puzzles where you think you've got it solved but then all of the sudden one little thing doesn't fit and you have to start from square one!"

Tech merely started for a few moments before he spoke again. "So… what happened?"

"Shannon pretty much broke it off with me," Rev said, his voice down a couple of octaves from the last time he spoke, "she said that we can still be friends and stuff, but that she doesn't feel safe in a relationship where she could get hurt again."

"Oh," Tech said. He hadn't a clue of what to say.

"I mean, I guess I can understand her reasoning. I wouldn't want to go through that trauma again if it happened to me, either. But it just makes me wonder about how she felt about me in the first place if she breaks it off just like that." The roadrunner sighed. "Tech, am I being selfish in wanting her back?"

Rev was quite obviously in a state of guilt. A guilt that should not have been burdening him at all, Tech thought. "Not in the slightest," Tech replied, "in fact, I would say she's the one being selfish. She had to have known such an incident was way beyond you. I mean, bombing a restaurant! If that kind of stuff happened every time you went out somewhere, the entire planet would be in shambles! Simple, elementary logic would be able to tell her that an incident such as that would, by the laws of probability, never happen again. I don't know what she's thinking right now, Rev, but do not feel bad about it. You carry no weight of the blame in this, and I hate seeing you look so guilty over something you didn't do."

This miniature-rant from the coyote was what Rev sort of needed to hear at that moment. Still, his mind was not at ease.

"Now I can see why you're so reluctant to get in a relationship, Tech," Rev said with a sad smile.

A few weeks ago, Tech would have been elated to hear this. Now, however, he received no satisfaction from the words, and actually wished to amend them.

"Now, I'm not sure about that," Tech said, "I think I was a little premature in saying that. I think the main reason why I'm so disinclined to the prospect of a relationship is because I simply can't seriously see myself being in one," Tech sighed.

Rev seemed to almost forget about his own problems and focus now on the coyote.

"Aw come on Tech you're a very eligible bachelor. I mean you're smart you're probably handsome you're funny when you want to be and not to mention you're very fuzzy."

Tech laughed slightly. "And obviously my level of fuzziness account for everything." Tech sighed. "I don't know, I guess when I just think of being involved with someone, there's this indisputable 'not for you!' message that rears it's ugly head in the back of my mind."

"Well if you really feel that way I don't think I can change your mind on that. But, Tech, sometimes not all 'relationships' have to be _romantic_, you know? You could have a perfectly good platonic relationship with someone. Anyone, even! Whether it be a neighbor a classmate a child a senior citizen a bank teller if you really connect with them and feel happy around them even if it's _not_ romantic in the slightest it can be just as good, if not better!"

Tech analyzed these words for a bit. "Yes," he said slowly, "I suppose you're right."

Silence befell the pair again. Tech noticed, however, that Rev didn't seem to be quite as desolate as he had moments earlier. Perhaps Rev's own words of comfort made him feel better?

"I had really memorable dream two nights ago," said Rev, breaking the silence.

"Oh, another nightmare?"

"No… I've had so much of those lately that if I had had one it wouldn't have been very memorable or remarkable. No, this one was actually pretty happy."

Tech thought for a moment. "Did it involve Shannon?"

Rev shook his head. "No actually it was just the six of us, meaning the team. We were at this beach and I think it was on one of Duck's crazy vacations. Kind of like how the four of them went to that place Apocalypso and we were left behind as usual? Anyway we were there too this time and man it was a blast. It was kind of weird though because I think Duck and Ace were a couple! I mean there they were whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears and meanwhile Lexi was really irritated with the two of them and apparently she was trying to win one of them over but you know I'm not sure which one! All I know is that I was giggling my head off in my dream and so were you. And meanwhile while those three are doing their own little thing Slam was eating all of their food which made it even more funny. And you and I were just laughing at them the entire time probably for far too long but dreams are just weird like that I guess."

Tech chuckled alongside Rev's recollection. "I suppose they are. That certainly sounds like a nice break from the dreams you had been having lately."

"Well it didn't really end with that. After a while the sun started to set in my dream and all of the sudden the other four kind of fell asleep on the beach and they eventually transformed into pelicans which I know probably seems weird but hey that kind of stuff isn't unusual in dreams. But you were still as you were though and I was still as I was and we found a black and white beach ball in the water and we just sort of picked up and started playing catch. Like we played catch for a ridiculously long time but somehow it was very nice and peaceful and was just really really fun. You and I just ran around throwing the ball to each other and I never really wanted it to end. Then of course Duck shattered a bunch of plates in the kitchen and I woke up immediately. I guess all good things must come to an end huh?"

"Yeah, I suppose they must," Tech said, still contemplating Rev's dream. "But that did sound like a good dream, albeit a bit… strange at times. But hey! Maybe dreams can come true, and Duck and Ace really will become a couple."

Rev laughed. "Yeah and maybe we can be the two best men at their wedding."

"A male duck and a male rabbit getting married, alongside a coyote and a roadrunner being the two best men. Discriminatory bigots and stereotype mongers, eat your hearts out!"

"Hey wouldn't it be funny if you went spontaneously feral and started chasing me around the hall during the ceremony?"

"Oh, I could just see the headlines now."

"…well what would they say?"

"I don't know. You know I'm not very creative."

The two broke out in spontaneous and perhaps irrational laughter, which eventually subsided into a more serious mood.

"But, what you said about all things coming to an end, sometimes I can't help but feel we may not have too much longer to go on this team," Tech said.

Rev looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Well, technology is growing at such a rapid rate these days," Tech pondered, "that I think someone might be able to genetically recreate our powers and splice them into any test subject. Hell, I might even be the one that does that. But when that happens, we'll be rather obsolete."

Rev cocked his head slightly. "Well even if that does happen and I'm not sure that it will we won't lose touch right?"

"Oh, of course not, we'll probably all still see each other."

"Well that's good to know," said Rev, smiling, "and plus we would still need to get together and work on some of those inventions I mean if we can create a regenerator in one night who knows what else we could do?"

"Heh, who knows?" Tech replied.

Silence took them once again, and Tech suddenly remembered what had just happened moments ago. "Rev, I think we should go back. I mean, we got a pretty good lead on who these bad guys might be, and I think we might get called to mission soon. And I will do everything within my power to make sure you're a part of it."

Rev grinned. "Thanks Tech I would really owe you for that one I mean Ace is really not on good terms with either one of us right now obviously. And, Tech?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget what I said about platonic relationships I mean if you have a really good one you know who needs a girlfriend?"

"Oh, I won't forget it."

"That's good to hear because even if you don't think you could ever have a girlfriend or anything like that you can still find someone who just makes you happy and that you could see spending a lot of time with so don't doubt yourself so much."

Tech smiled at Rev. "Oh, don't worry about that. I think I've already found someone."


	17. Into The Storm

The Fragile

The Fragile

Chapter 17: Into the Storm

Tech and Rev made their way back to living quarters, with Rev, for the most part, feeling more at ease. They pair had almost expected, at this point, for there to be some sort of meeting going on regarding the events that had taken place. However, all they saw was Duck and Lexi engaged in a rather too-loud conversation.

"All I know," Lexi said as the two walked in, "is that you've been disappearing a lot more than usual lately."

"And what about it?! Are you afraid I'm going out to buy something _cooler_ than the junk you wear?"

"First of all, no, because you don't have any eye for fashion to speak of. Second, the things I wear aren't _junk_, they are the absolute latest and most exclusive line of clothes and accessories, and _third_, I'm just bringing it up because, well I'm worried about you! You've been growing more irritable every day – you know, more irritable than usual! Everyone's seen it."

"Well, missy, maybe the reason I'm so _irritabable _is because I get questioned so much!"

"Lose the speech impediment, Duck, as cute as it may be. And no, we've put off question for far too long. You were _enraged_ on the phone today. I mean, why? What are you up to? Does it involve criminal activity? I think I and the rest of the team have a right to know!"

"First of all, I do not have a '_speech impedimediment'_, and… you think it's cute? Feh, I'm getting off the point! I fail to see why person matters are anyone's business but my own. I mean, do we ask Ace why he has a Brooklyn accent when no one on this planet has been to Brooklyn in hundreds of years?! Well, maybe we should, because I'm a bit curious myself, and-"

"Duck, stop rambling! You're almost as bad as Rev! Look, if you're doing anything that might get the team in trouble, then we deserve to know. I mean, I wouldn't suspect you if you weren't so _secretive_ about it."

"Oh, my, I'm having an epiphany! Yes, for now on, I shall voice _all _of my thoughts and personal life details to the whole team! They deserve to know _everything_ about me! Privacy is _so_ last century!"

"I'm pretty sure _all _of your thoughts and personal life details would scar us all for life. Duck, this is different. This is something that seems to be disrupting your entire life, and… fine. You know what? I'm… I'm worried about you. Okay? Fine. Are you happy?"

"Oh, I'm overjoyed. She's worried about me! Just like mommy would have been, and-" Duck stop, his sarcastic demeanor fading. He cast his eyes to the floor for a second or two, then grew purely irritated. "You know what? I don't need this. I have some business to attend to right now. Business that is _not yours." _ And, instead of giving everyone the courtesy of walking out as would be usual, he simply quacked out, and was gone without a trace.

Lexi sighed defeatedly and made her way to the second table, sitting down and rest her head on her hands, propped by her elbows.

Tech and Rev looked at each other, wondering if they should say something to Lexi, when the team's leader approached them.

"Hey guys, erm, I wanted to talk to ya," Ace said with some reluctance.

"As long as you don't go off and Rev again," Tech said, still irritable from their last brawl, "sure."

"Oh, don't worry it's nothin' like that, in fact," Ace paused, "I kinda wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. I was just angry that you just didn't respect any of my authority anymore. I mean, I guess I can understand, I was acting like a jerk, but we still need to act as a team, and those little fights are no good for the team. But I deserve a large chunk of the blame. So I'm just sorry for mouthing off to you guys, and Rev, I admit I have kind of neglected you over the years, and if you want a little more action, that's fine with me."

Neither them had expected the bunny to apologize so soon after the fight. Nevertheless, his apology seemed to settle things.

"Wow thanks Ace I admit I could have picked a better time to voice my dissatisfaction but Ace I feel really ready to fight and I have a feeling the time to fight may come soon but just so you know I'm ready!" Rev said contently.

"That's good to know, Rev, cause I have feeling we're gonna need ya. These guys we're dealing with here seem a little nuts. I mean, look what you did to your-"

"Ace," Tech interrupted.

"Yeah, Tech?" Ace said.

"Oh, um," Tech paused, looked at Rev, and turned back to the leader. "Nothing. It was big of you to apologize like that, and I guess I have to apologize too for being so irritated."

"Don't worry about it, Tech, let's just make sure we never get into that kind of a spat again. So are we all good?"

"Yeah don't worry about it Ace we're one big happy family here right Tech?"

Tech chuckled. "Right."

"Well, that's good to know, because I have a feeling we're gonna organize soon, and we-"

A piercing beeping sound cut off Ace's speech. Someone had left the team a message on the transmitter, in the form of a fax.

"Huh, I wonder what that could be. We hardly ever get written memos," Ace said. He went over to pick up the piece of paper, and took a second or two to peruse it. After he read it, his eyes went wide with fear.

"What is it, Ace?" Tech inquired.

Ace said nothing, but handed the letter over to Tech. The coyotes also widened as he scanned the words:

"_We have your precious duck. Bring your entire team over to the Acme orphanage within the hour, or he meets his demise." _


	18. The Ministry of Lost Souls

The Fragile

The Fragile

Chapter 18: The Ministry of Lost Souls

"_My dream's but a drop of fuel for a nightmare."_

Never before had two sentences made so much of an impact on the team. Ace instinctually started screaming at the top of his lungs.

"_Team, gather around the conference table, now!"_

Luckily, most of the team were already either near or currently occupying the table. Only Slam was away – snacking in the kitchen – but he was out shortly. The five stood around in a circle, looking extremely tense. Rev, Lexi and Slam awaiting to hear news as to what exactly was going on that would cause such an abrupt meeting.

"Guys, they got Duck. I don't know who 'they' is, but they've got him. Somewhere near the Acme orphanage. We have to get there in ten minutes or… I don't wanna think about what will happen. Obviously the guy's not gonna just hand him over just cause we show up, so be ready for intensive combat. Acme Orphanage. Let's jet!"

"Wait, what do I do?" cried a female voice from a short distance away. Shannon stood offside the group with a demeanor of both confusion and fear. She had evidently been in the kitchen with Slam getting the proper nourishment needed after weeks of exile.

"Shannon, there's a high-security fallout room about seven floors down. I'd advise you to go down there and hang low for a while. Its more than likely that any fight that may ensue won't make its way back here, but it's not out of the possibility. So it's probably the safest route to take," Tech replied dryly.

"Got it," Shannon said quickly, not wanting to hold the team up any longer than she had to, and she made her way to the elevator.

"Okay, team, let's jet already!" And without further interruption, the team kicked off their jetpacks, or in Rev's case, held out their arms, and they were off.

The venture towards the orphanage wasn't exactly a long trip – perhaps only three or four blocks away from Headquarters – but the five's nerves were so wracked that the flight was prolonged into a treacherous journey through pressure. They dreaded their arrival, but it couldn't come soon enough. When they _did_ arrive, what they saw really startled them.

Nothing.

There was not a single sound, a single life form outside of the orphanage or a sight of anything suspicious; only a cool, foreboding breeze.

In spite of this, the five of them stuck it out. This is, after all, where they were told explicitly to arrive, and they were well within the given time limit, since their destination wasn't very far from the start. And yet, there was no sign of anything. Ace began to wonder if they had been duped.

"Hmm, I don't know what's going on here, guys. It's so quiet. I don't like it. Rev, Lexi - go look for any signs of the kidnappers on the backside of the building. Tech, Slam - stick around the front here. I'll keep a lookout from afar, and buzz you if I see anything fishy."

The others nodded in agreement and split up accordingly.

"Come on, Slam," Tech said, "let's start on the left side over here – there's a lot of nooks and crannies around."

"Grrbblb gotcha," Slam confirmed, and the two set off on what seemed like a pointless search.

The two scanned the parameters of the building, observing each little angle and corner until they practically memorized the entire section of the building. Since there was nothing else to look out, Tech quickly took to looking inside the windows of the orphanage.

Window one: a small, confining room filled to the brim with unorganized paperwork. It must have been nearly impossible to get anything done in there.

Window two: a very bland, gray office with a solitary table in the center. There weren't even any chairs. Perhaps they should move some of the papers from the previous room onto that table.

Window three: a rather spacious, roomy office space, festively decorated and complete with 2 couches, a computer, a television, and a packed bookcase. Must be the owner's office, Tech thought. It juxtaposed oddly with the rest of the building's dingy nuance.

Window four: the biggest room yet. But, judging by its occupants, not nearly big enough. Around fifty or sixty kids populated the relatively small, gray room lit with ordinary fluorescent lights. Tech gazed into this window for a particularly long time. Most of the children were humans, but there were a few anthromorphs here and there as well, particularly a dog, two cats, a wolf, a hare, and a baby roadrunner.

There were a few toys scattered around the room – not nearly enough for everyone, but even so, they lay largely ignored. The kids talked, teased or played amongst themselves or otherwise sat in solitude. This had to be a miserable existence, or at least an unfulfilling one, Tech though. It was practically a ministry for lost souls. For perhaps the first time, Tech felt sympathy for Duck. It had to be hard growing up in a place like this.

Duck – that's right, the team was searching for Duck. Tech shook his head, realizing he had just wasted a good chunk of time and held Slam up as well, since he followed Tech's every move. He began to set off once again when a voice from behind unexpectedly met his ears.

"Pitiful little buggers, aren't they?"

Tech and Slam jumped in surprise and turned around. There stood a well-built man with smooth, long black hair. He held a burlap sack in his left hand that looked quite heavy.

Tech started up. "And _you_ are –"

"Likely the man you're looking for, yes," the stranger finished. "And, no worried, I know quite well who you two are. But where are the other three? I explicitly asked that all five of you be present."

Tech looked down, pressed a button on his arm gauntlet and spoke into a mouthpiece. "Rev, Lexi, Ace, we found the guy. On the side of the building facing our tower. Come quick." He terminated the transmission.

Slam stood closely beside Tech, resembling a gigantic, scared puppy. He had no idea what would happen, or what he should do.

"Ah, these awkward silences always get to me," the stranger spoke, "so, how about this weather?"

"And would that be Duck in the sack?" Tech asked curtly.

"My, you're not one for icebreakers, are you? Maybe your friends will have more manners, and, ah, here they come now."

The other three dashed into the clearing, and now formed a pentagon surrounding the longhaired man with the burlap sack.

"Lovely, you're all here. It doesn't look like I'll have to kill this mallard after all," the man said.

"Look, let's cut the crap, doc, and get to the heart of the matter. What do you want from us?"

"Nuh uh uh, my harried hare. Remember that the fate of the duck is still in my hands. Well, my left hand, specifically," he held up the sack, "so, if you don't mind, I'd like to get things started at the rate of my own choosing.

"First of all, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Vincent Cavanagh, the humble son of famous human rights activist James Cavanagh. You see, I want to follow in his footsteps, and I'm afraid you lot are getting in the way of the progression of human rights."

The five present exchanged odd looks at this statement, but then Vincent went on.

"Now, observe, we're gathered here today because of this fellow." Vincent untied the rope bounding the sack, and flipped it over to empty out the contents. Duck inhumanely and rather grotesquely came tumbling out, clearly unconscious and bound by ominously green-glowing rope. He laid lamely on the ground.

The five recoiled at the sight. Lexi gasped, "is he… dead?"

"No, silly. I've already made it clear that he is not dead… yet. You see, this rope here is yet another brilliant creation of my brother's. Good ol' Danny – you'll meet him soon. Anyway, each fiber of the rope is laced with copious amount of benzodiazepines, which are powerful sleeping agents. In addition to _that, _the fibers themselves are chemically altered to attach to anything tangible and warm. Since the duck is clearly tangible and warm, all of those fibers are sticking into him right now, and transmitting benzodiazepines into his nervous system. So long as he is bound in there, he's out like a light. Even better, the rope can only be removed with an extremely specialized chemical solution, which only my brother has. Ah, there's the genius now."

Approaching from Vincent's left, Dan walked into the scene out of seemingly nowhere. Tech couldn't help but wonder how these two were managing to appear out of thin air.

Dan's presence was far less daunting than Vincent's was; in fact, he looked like a stereotypical geek, with huge glasses, short hair and a lab coat. He also did not have the confidence his brother held - if anything, he looked nervous.

"Anyway, that's Dan. Dan, everybody. Poor guy, he's mute. Anyway, back to the situation at hand. Now, you see I could easily just take Dan's solution and unbind the duck here and let him free unscathed so you can all go back to your little happy places. But I'm afraid you're going to have to fulfill one teensy request of me."

"Oh yeah?" said Ace skeptically. "And what's that?"

"Step down as 'guardians of Acmetropolis'," Vincent said bluntly, "end this silly little charade, and let man run his own world."

"And just let you take over everything?!" Lexi snapped back.

"I can assure you, miss, I have absolutely no intentions of doing anything of the sort. Power and wealth are of little importance to me. I come only in the intention of preserving man's power in a world he created. You six are a clear obstacle to this. So, please, step down and I'll let the duck go."

Ace was in disbelief. "Is that really what this is all about?" he asked, "you have a problem with us because we're not… human?"

"Bingo," Vincent said, "look, I'm not calling for your termination or anything, just step down and go we're you anthromorphs are supposed to go – out of power."

Tech looked at the empty sack and thought of something. "That was some explosion at that restaurant a few days ago, huh?"

Vincent looked surprised at this sudden change of topic. "Um… yes?"

"You know, Rev here had a date with another female roadrunner there that night," Tech continuing, gesturing towards Rev.

Vincent looked at Rev with quite an unreadable expression. "Did he now?"

"Yes I did," Rev answered, catching on to Tech's intentions.

"Oh yes," Vincent said, "I do seem to recall a female roadrunner was reported missing the next day."

"And do you know what happened to her?" Tech followed up.

"No," Vincent said a little less confidently, "can't say I do. It's been weeks, though, it's unlikely we'll ever see her again."

"Oh I beg to differ," Rev said defiantly, "in fact she just came running back to headquarters to just a couple of hours ago."

"What?! How could she have possibly esc-"

"Aha!" Tech shouted triumphantly, pointing a finger at Vincent. "Now we have you on record for two kidnaps."

Vincent faced contorted with rage, and then suddenly shock, as if he just had a stunning revelation. He quickly cast a look at his brother, who looked more nervous than ever, then at Ace.

"So are you going to step down or not?" Vincent asked impatiently.

Ace looked at Duck, then at the rest of the team, then at Dan, and then back at Vincent.

"Afraid we can't do that, Doc."

"I didn't think you would," Vincent murmured menacingly. "No problem. I have prepared for this. Team, reveal yourselves."

In a moment of great horror, an overwhelming swarm of villainous personas crept out of the shadows cast by the buildings around them. It was as if the undead were rising from the grave. The Loonatics looked around in panic as the super villains emerged, beginning to form a blockade around the six. There must have been twenty or so. The Loonatics, as much as they had fought, had never fought this much before. The villains then stopped moving, having successfully assumed their respective positions.

"Now then," Vincent spoke with a devious smile, "crush them."


	19. Until The End Of The World

The Fragile

The Fragile

Chapter 19: Until the End of the World

Everything had started before any of them had time to think. What once was the scene of a drearily tranquil orphanage now resembled a scene from the apocalypse.

The sky above was obscured by a plethora of supernaturally enhanced oppressors, circling in like hawks. They seemed to be carried by jetpacks similar to Loonatics' own. There were a few familiar faces among the crowd - Sypher, Mastermind, Weathervane – but the rest of them were alien. Some looked _literally_ alien, but all of that was irrelevant. There was no time to get acquainted.

Usually, one super villain was enough to give the six of them a good battle. How could _five_ of them possibly take on _twenty?_ Whatever little battle strategies any of the Loonatics had in the back of their minds were instantly lost to the cosmos. Survival instincts were all they had left.

"On the defensive!" Ace screeched as the perpetrators made their attack. The five darted in and out of a battlefield of concentrated, constant attacks. There were no pauses, not one moment to rest – only danger.

The five had no choice but to simply run for cover. Pure adrenaline took over as the five ran behind the orphanage. If they had been using their powers recklessly as to ward off attacks, they wouldn't have known. Everything seemed so unreal, and somehow in slow motion, as if they were merely observers manifested into the players' bodies.

Ace dived into some nearby shrubbery, and the other four followed suit. This gave them about five to eight seconds before they would once again be ambushed.

"Okay," Ace spoke nearly at Rev's speed, "first of all we need to get away from here since we don't want any kids getting hoit. Second we really should try to make it back to the tower and figure out what to do from there. That's all we've got right now."

"Rev," Tech added quickly, "you have super speed, so go quickly to my lab and get six portable deflecting shields."

Rev nodded and seemed to flat-out vanish, leaving behind a gust of wind. Not a blink of an eye later the bush was waylaid with several fiery orbs. The four remaining Loonatics jumped out to see Cypher floating above, holding what appeared to be Duck's eggs.

"Looks like your friend's a little empty handed."

Duck. They had nearly forgotten him.

"It's just a shame that I didn't have time to snag has quacking powers. I won't lie, it's pretty badass. Anyway, I'll see you critters later. Guys, they're over here!"

And thus, chaos reigned again. Unexpectedly, however, Slam jumped to the front of the other three.

"Grrbbl stay behind," he ordered, and the other three, having no other plan, obeyed.

Without hesitation, Slam warped into his tornado maneuver and starts to make circles around the Loonatics. To their amazement, his twister deflected every single orb, laser or some other sort of unidentifiable laser that came their way. Some of the deflected objects rebounded off some of the villains themselves, leaving them injured.

"Wow," Lexi commented, "Slam's kicking ass."

Perhaps Lexi had jinxed it. At that moment, a creature that resembled an anthropomorphic lizard thrusted his abnormally long arms into the earth. Within seconds, the ground shook beneath the Loonatics' feat, and then they found themselves flung helplessly into the air. They landed far apart from each other, hopelessly exposed.

It was at this moment that a translucent red blur scurried throughout the vicinity. Each Loonatic then felt a small circular object the size of a baseball thrusted into their hands.

"The shields! Good going, Rev!" Ace shouted over all the noise. The five squeezed the object, which released a blinding flash of green matter. In about a second, the Loonatics were each enveloped in a faint green, transparent film of matter shaped like an egg. They were now protected from attacks, but they could still do nothing to eradicate the threat the villains still posed.

Tech took this opportunity to scan the scene in a way he could not before. They were now further away from the orphanage than they were, standing in the middle of a vacant parking lot. What wasn't lit up by the streetlights was illuminated in a diverse array of colors, due to the villains' own superpowers. This hue was subsiding, however, since they were beginning to realize that they couldn't do any damage to the team while they had their deflector shields activated.

Tech sensed a blur of motion on the very outer edges of his peripheral vision. He turned quickly, but found nothing. Well, nothing save a bottle of solution lying on the ground. He scurried over to it, quickly deactivated his shield to pick it up, and then re-activated his shield. The bottle had a faint label, written in dry-erase marker: _"n-methyl-1-phenyl-propan-2-amine"._

"Nice move, Loonatics," a voice shouted from the other end of the parking lot. From a distance, Tech could see Vincent standing alone, right in the middle of the catastrophe. "But clearly you can't stay in those shells of yours forever. And eventually, I imagine my companions here will grow bored of standing around waiting for you, and may just start taking it out on any of these kind civilians here." Vincent gestured towards the growing crowd of observers taking witness to the scene about two-football fields-length away.

"Should that happen," Vincent continued, "it would be out of my hands. These soldiers here are under strict command to attack _only_ you. If you are to remain cowards as you are now, they will get impatient. Whatever may happen as a result of that would be nobody's fault but your own."

Tech wondered idly for a moment how one seemingly insignificant man could control twenty super-villains. He let that thought go – there were more important matters on hand.

"Oh, so it would be _our_ fault that you unleashed a bunch a' super villains? I highly doubt that, mister," Ace shouted back defiantly.

"If they cannot find me," Vincent replied, "who else will they blame?"

"Huh?"

And with that, Vincent was gone. Just like that, with no sign of his brother, either.

Tech puzzled over this anomaly for a moment, and then something dawned on him.

"N-methyl-1-phenyl-propan-2-amine… that's an amphetamine. That has the opposite effect of a benzodiazepine. Hey, guys!"

The others faced Tech, the villains still looming overhead.

"I think this is the solution to release the rope they've got on Duck!"

"Nice! But… how are we going to get to him?" Lexi asked, being nearest to Tech.

Tech turned around. Duck was still lying near the orphanage, which was about seventy-five yards away. Not too far of a distance, but a lifetime away with a ridiculous number of oppressors watching your every move.

It was also too late. Tech had spoke without thinking, and about six of the villains flew over to Duck's body to guard it.

"Crap," Tech said. He tried to think of something to do, but Ace finished his thoughts for him.

"Rev, Slam, this ones on you guys. Rev, you can move in and out the fastest. Get the solution from Tech and free duck. Slam, you get in there too and use your tornado maneuver to ward off attacks. You'll both have to deactivate your shields, though. You think you're ready?"

"Grrbblb 'ell yes!" Slam said, smiling determinedly.

"You betcha I've been waiting for this for months and months Ace and now its time for me to shut up and do this!" Rev added.

"Alright! Okay, Rev, go get the solution thingie from Tech. Slam, all I can say is, ready, set, go!"

While Rev scurried over to Tech to retrieve the potion, Slam deactivated his deflector and made his transformation into a tornado, and raged onward. The villains, of course, took this opportunity to absolutely surge at Slam, but to no avail. Certain more determined perpetrators even took the opportunity to fling _themselves_ at Slam, only to be sent flying backwards. In what seemed like no time, Slam was making a circle around Duck, all the while sending those guarding him in all directions. No one knew Slam's tornado maneuver had this much power.

"Alright, Slam!" Ace shouted encouragingly. "Alright Rev, your turn, got the solution?"

"Yep!"

"Alright, get in there!"

Rev was already at Duck's side before Ace could even finish his sentence. With a sense of almost inappropriate determination, Rev emptied the solution onto the rope, which came loose immediately. Duck twitched.

"No, mommy, I don't want to go to school today!" Duck mumbled, eyes still shut.

Rev slapped him in the face. "Get up you loony we got to get moving fast fast fast!"

Duck groaned in frustration, and got up slowly. "What happened, anyway? What's going on?"

From within the tornado, Slam shouted. "Duck, Duck!"

"Um… goose?" Duck question.

Rev tackled Duck to the ground, just avoiding being hit by an oncoming glowing object from the side. They didn't know what it was, but surely it was dangerous.

Rev and Duck landed some ten yards away, with the roadrunner on top of the mallard.

"Geez, Rev, what's your problem? No make-outs!"

"Oh shut up and just take this thing here it's a deflector shield squeeze it to activate it."

Rev got up, and Duck followed suit. "Oh, fine," Duck said, and soon all six were once again enveloped in their shields, Slam having aborted his maneuver.

"Good job, guys! Duck, we'll explain everything to you later, but as you can see, we're in a big of a pickle here."

Duck looked around, just noticing he was surrounded by an absolutely absurd amount of evil-doers.

"…mother," Duck squawked.

"You've got dat right," Ace replied, "but right now we need to umph-"

Evidently, the villains were not happy with the Loonatics' success. In a combined effort, five perpetrators team-tackled Ace, deactivating his shield and causing him to fly through the air. He flew like a rag doll right onto a curbstone.

"Ace!" Lexi shouted in shock.

Ace ascended slowly, immediately re-activating his shields, which he never let go of. "I'm… fine…" Ace said, with his arm nevertheless hanging loosely to his side.

"But you're arm! And you're head!" Lexi retorted. And, indeed, there was a decent amount of blood dripped down Ace's face from his eyebrow.

"I said I'm fine, Lex," Ace said angrily. "We can't afford to have anybody on the disabled list here. I, for one, will fight until I'm finished."

They all believed it, of course. Ace would fight until the end of the world.

Tech suddenly lit up. "Guys, I have an idea! It'll be difficult, but I think it's our only option. We'll have to get back to headquarters, but I'm almost positive it will work."

"Alright, Tech, I'll trust your judgement. Alright, team, you heard him, let's-"

Ace's command was interrupted by a piercing shriek. The same five that had tackled Ace now assaulted Lexi. Her deflector shield also deactivated as she went flying, but unlike Ace's device, Lexi's flew to the side. She landed harshly against a nearby wall, dazed and weakened.

And more significantly, absolutely helpless.

"Lexi!" Duck shouted almost in spite of himself.

"Looks like we finally caught a break, guys," one of the villains said to the others. A good number of them, about ten, all crowded around Lexi.

"No…" she whimpered quietly.

And before the rest of the team had time to do anything, it all happened.

Blinding flashes of light emanated from the villains' weapons, surging towards Lexi.

There was a sudden, swift movement.

A piercing scream rang out in the night sky.

And Duck's body lay motionless in front of Lexi.


	20. Seconds in Life

The Fragile

The Fragile

Chapter 20: Seconds in Life

Everything was so surreal. It all must have taken place in no more than twenty seconds, but normalcy seemed long dead. Everyone seemed frozen in shock – even the attackers. Nobody ever knew.

Luckily, Ace was able to keep his head well enough to keep the situation under control. "Rev! Grab Lexi's shield and thrust it in her hand! We don't need anymore casualties here!" he ordered.

Still speechless, Rev deactivated his own shield and in one swift motion did as he was told. Lexi was safe, or perhaps just less vulnerable, once again. But it didn't seem to make any difference to her.

Tech, perhaps realizing he had regeneration powers, deactivated his shield and ran over to Duck's body. It lay eerily still – no signs of motion whatsoever. Tech quickly pressed two fingers into Duck's right wrist, left it there for a few seconds, then shook his head.

"No pulse."

Their fears were confirmed. Tech hastily jumped out of the way as several of the attackers made a lunge for him. Moments ago, they were terrifying, but now their presence was nothing but an annoyance. They still had to be dealt with, of course, but all of the team's determination seemed to pass on with Duck.

Then suddenly, a light lit up in Rev's eyes.

"Tech! The regenerator!"

Tech, reactivating his shield, shook his head. "We never got his DNA on the database."

"Well I know that but I was just figuring wouldn't it be possible to still scan his DNA even after he's… well I mean it's worth a shot!"

Tech scratched his head. "You know… I never actually thought about that. I suppose it might work, depending on how soon it's done, but, of course, I can't _guarantee _anything, especially consider the device has never actually been tested, and-_"_

"Please," squeaked a distressed voice from behind Tech. Tech turned to face Lexi. "Do anything you can," she further pleaded.

Tech turned to Ace, who turned to the roadrunner. "Rev," the leader spoke, "you know what you have to do. We have things under control here. Tech said earlier that he had a plan for dealin' with all of them, but that we had to be back at the tower to make it happen. So I guess we'll meet ya there."

Rev nodded, deactivated his shield once again and heaved Duck into his arms. For such a lightweight, the roadrunner had considerable strength.

"Good luck," Tech said in a tone contrary to his usual callous nature. Rev nodded once again, and was gone.

Sometimes the team didn't know where they'd be without Rev's super speed. Within five seconds, he was already situated in Tech's Rev, Duck still in his arms. Without wasting anytime, Rev lay Duck on the nearest flat surface, quickly dashed to medical headquarters to retrieve a heart monitor and returned to attach it to Duck. He dashed to the corner of the room to where the DNA scanner was situated. Exerting all his strength, Rev pushed it next to the table where Duck lay. Rev pressed the same prominent red button that he had that pressed in Tech's lab that one day. God, was that only _yesterday? _The same blinding lights that had startled Rev now caressed Duck's figure. The red scanning lights moved across his body, making bright red lines move slowly down his chest, and then it was over.

Well, there was only one thing left to do now.

Rev picked up Duck once again, carrying the heart monitor with him, and took him over to the regenerator. It was set up in two parts; one of which was very similar to a clinical MRI scanner. Rev placed Duck's body into the tube, which admittedly would have been very bad for someone who was claustrophobic. Well, someone who was alive, also. Rev cringed.

Rev then rushed to the second part of the regenerator, which looked like an ordinary computer, except blown up to eight times its usual size. Rev scanned through the files and found the DNA database. There he discovered two entries.

Geococcyx californianus – Cuclidae - Ave #000001

Anas platyrhynchos – Anatidae – Ave #000002

Rev jumped a little with triumph. It had worked. Rev selected Ave #000002, and browsed his options. Copy, Delete, Cut, Analyze, Open. Open, Rev guessed. A new window greeted him, showing a mess of technical text on the left and what looked like an exact picture of Duck on the right. He was also completely naked. Rev cringed once again. Now frantic, he looked for anything that might finally regenerate Duck. Seconds later, he slapped his forehead when he found the option glaring at him in huge, bold lettering up at the topic. Closing his eyes, he clicked the button.

Nothing happened.

Dismayed, Rev started squawking incoherently, when suddenly the MRI-like unit roared to life. From within, a great showcase of bright blue lights flashed majestically, followed by a horrible crackling sound. Rev screamed, thinking he had accidentally electrocuted Duck. The lights eventually died down, and then abruptly ceased.

There was only silence.

Rev peered within, and Duck still seemed as motionless as ever.

The tension in the room seemed tangible. Rev could do nothing but stand and wait. He thought his anxiety would surely do him in, but he could do nothing now. Just stand still.

When one is immersed in extreme anticipation, one starts to take notice to even the minutest optical and auditory details. In Rev's case, he took notice to every single sound that met his ears.

The table creaked from where Duck once lay.

The machine before him stirred a bit, still cooling down from its job.

The computer fan hummed gently before him.

Something on the computer beeped.

From outside, distant shouts were heard. Perhaps the villains were getting closer.

The floor creaked, settling itself.

Something no larger than a pin dropped to the floor somewhere.

The air condition unit turned itself on, creating a very subtle thump.

The sound of a gust of wind hit the building.

A slow but steady rhythmic beeping sound emerged from the heart monitor.

Dan and Vincent's hideout was now more vacant than ever since the prism prison was removed. The captives were now released.

Vincent walked slowly towards Dan's work desk, where he was not surprised to find his brother hunched over, typing frantically. He looked extremely anxious, as if doing something very, very condemnable.

"You had to figure I knew you'd be here," Vincent spoke.

Dan jumped in surprise and turned around. He looked horror-struck, bearing the face of a child who just got caught staying up past his bedtime. Dan quickly made to unplug as many plugs as he could to remove evidence of his apparent wrongdoing, but Vincent stopped him.

"There will be no use in doing that," he said softly, "I know quite well what you were doing."

Defeated, Dan dropped everything and slowly turned around. He was no longer anxious, but rather sorrowful.

"I was a fool," Vincent spoke again, "to not know sooner. That is my biggest regret."

Silence.

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"

Dan stood still for moment, then shook his head sullenly.

"Do you think that I don't know that it was you who place that solution right beside that mangy coyote for him to find?"

Dan shook his head.

"Do you _really_ think I don't know that you released that roadrunner female?"

Dan shook his head.

"And do you _think_," Vincent continued, his voice now fiery, "that I don't know that you weren't just now attempting to transport our captives into the hands of authorities, in an effort to save your newfound critter friends?"

Dan shook his head, tears swelling up in his eyes.

"And me with them. Your own brother."

Dan now looked up, and met Vincent's eyes with his watery own.

"What? Do you actually have something to _say_ for yourself?"

Dan opened his mouth. For a few seconds, all that emanated from the orifice where raspy gasps. Then, finally, with what seemed like tremendous effort, the words formed.

"_Too far."_

"What? You think I went too far?"

Dan nodded with what was left of his determination.

Vincent sighed. "Well, I'm really sorry you feel that way. I do tend to get carried away with things, I suppose. Maybe I did go to far."

Dan lit up slightly, thinking that his two words may have had an actual effect upon his brother.

"Unfortunately," Vincent continued, "you're absolutely right. It has gone too far." Vincent put his hand into his pocket, shuffled it around, and took out a silver high-powered handgun.

Dan recoiled at the sight.

"It has gone much too far, and now I clearly can no longer trust you as long as you breathe."

Dan opened his mouth once again.

"_Please."_

"I am so sorry," Vincent said, "that it had to turn out this way. So long, my brother. I assure you, your impact will never be forgotten."

Without wasting any time, Vincent cocked the gun, placed it to Dan's temple forcibly and pulled the trigger.

Dan's face was permanently contorted with shock. He keeled over slowly and fell to the floor, landing on his side. Blood slowly pooled into a puddle beside his head.

Vincent looked down on his brother one last time. "No, this wasn't meant for you."

Sighing, he turned away, adjusted his shirt and walked sullenly out of the warehouse.


	21. Explosions in the Sky

The Fragile

The Fragile

Chapter 21: Explosions in the Sky

Rev was caught up in a flurry of emotions. Ecstasy, of course, because the Regenerator had worked. But now another rather nasty thought crawled up in the back of his mind. Duck's heart was beating, sure, but does that necessarily entail a full recovery? What if he was a mute, now? What if he was physically paralyzed? Mentally impaired? So many things could have gone wrong. After all, the DNA had been scanned only after Duck had… and anyway; the machine hadn't been fully tested. Perhaps these insecurities were foolish, but they seemed legitimate. After all, permanent, irrevocable damage would be a catastrophe to the welfare of the team, and it couldn't be-

"Oh God, I can't breathe! Someone, anyone, get me out of here!"

Rev gasped and looked towards the MRI machine. Inside, he saw Duck struggling.

"I don't like enclosed spaces! I'm claustrobalophobic! Mommy! Mommy!"

"Don't worry Duck I got ya!" Rev shouted in his direction. He dashed over to the unit and pulled the patient's table out of the tunnel, freeing Duck from his circular prison.

"Man, what a lousy day! I keep having all these blackouts! Duck, you're cracking up, get a hold of yourself! A superhero must retain his bold, fearless, _sexy _demeanor," Duck muttered, rising from the table, not yet noticing Rev.

"Oh Duck you haven't changed a bit!" Rev cried in relief, rushing over to Duck to give him a spine-crushing hug.

"Hey, hey! Take it easy on the feathers, spazzy! Where'd you come from, anyway? Why am _I _here? Why won't you ever let go of me?!" Duck protested.

"Oh Duck we all thought you were a goner but now you're safe and alive and kicking and all that matters and I know we've had our differences in the past but all that matters is that you're still here and man after what you just did you'll always have my respect!" Rev still clasped Duck in a hug.

"Wait, wait, hold on a second," Duck forced himself out of the hug. "Just what's going on here? What did I 'just do'? How did I get _here_? I mean, the last two things I remember was going down to… ahem, some place… and then all the sudden there was all these noises and then _you_ were on top of me! And then, before I can do _anything_, I wake up in a tiny round box, and then, kablammo, you're hugging the stuffing out of me! Now, listen buddy," Duck looked nervous, "do you have some sort of 'thing' for me? Well, I don't _blame_ you, of course, I mean, who _wouldn't_… ahem, but that's beside the point! Look, it could never work out. I mean, I don't swing that way, and I didn't think you did either, but-"

Rev shook his head rapidly. "No no no stop right there I don't want to hear anymore of that!" Tech sighed with a tremor of glumness. "No it's got nothing to do with me it's… you seriously don't remember what happened?"

"Look, I told you, the last thing I remember was you on top of me. Something may have happened after that, but I really don't know what."

"Oh," said Rev. How was he supposed to tell Duck that he died to save Lexi's life? It's not something one would just bring up in any sort of conversation.

Rev's attention was suddenly diverted by an abrupt bang from the lab's entrance. There he saw Tech positively sprinting into the room from the door. Without haste, the coyote ran over to his work desk, punched in a few lines of code, and instantaneously a blinding light appeared at the end of the room. Tech and Rev had forgotten to shut the balcony opening when they had last occupied it. But now there appeared what seemed like a transparent green-glowing film – very similar to the matter that the Loonatics' shield used. Then Rev realized – the whole tower was encased in a shield.

The other three Loonatics not yet in the lab soon followed - Ace first, then Slam, and finally Lexi, straggling along. She still seemed quite overcome with emotion, or at least shock. It wasn't surprising she was taken aback at the sight of Duck alive. She, of course, was only the first to be astonished at the sight.

"Duck!" Ace shouted, the first to speak after Tech's arrival, "our hero of da day, you're alive!"

"Um, yes I am? And… did you just call me the hero of the day? Okay, I _really _must have missed something here." Duck now seemed too confused to thing of any sort of witty repertoire.

"You mean," Ace said slowly, rather startled, "you don't remember… what happened?"

"No, I don't!" Duck shot back rather irritably. "All I remember is blacking out a couple of times and waking up with rooster boy here all over me twice! But, frankly, I'd like some answers."

Slam evidently didn't take much of this in. "Grbblb bear hug!" he shouted, and stampeded towards Duck. Before Duck had time to resist, Slam had swept Duck into his arms and nearly squeezed the life out of him. Again.

"Looser… looser!" Duck choked out before Slam finally let him down. "Geez, what's with you people tonight?!" Duck brushed off his shoulders.

Tech evidently didn't take _that_ in. "Yes, I was afraid such a thing might happen," he started, "short term memory loss. I had estimated beforehand that anyone brought back to life through the regenerator would permanently forget the amount of time preceding their death equal to the amount of time they spent deceased. I just didn't think it was very relevant. But, I guess sometimes it is."

"Wait, I was _dead?_" Duck shouted. "Okay, now I really want some answers here!"

A resounding boom from outside the tower interrupted Duck's demand. The floor shook, the lights flicked and the security breach alarms rang out.

"Sorry, later Duck," Ace said, "right now we have to deal with some bad guys."

"They're trying to break the shield," Tech said, scanning some computer screams hastily. "They won't be able to, of course, but they could still do some damage to the building nonetheless. We have to hurry."

From the far side of the room, Lexi sighed. She felt dejected by the fact that Duck didn't remember his sacrifice. She longed to tell him what he had done for her, but at the same time was weary of the thought. She couldn't tell him now anyway; their lives, as well as possibly their planet was at stake. She would have to wait.

Nevertheless, what he had done confirmed his feelings for her - mutual feelings.

"Okay, Tech, what's your master plan?" Ace asked.

"Well, chief, remember when I said I didn't know diddly about wormhole technology?" Tech asked.

"Very clearly."

"Well, that kind of bothered me, so I've been reading up on it as much as I can. And now I'm really glad I did, because I think it's the only way we can deal with these guys." Tech immediately turned back to his work desk and started tapping at multiple keyboards with a speed on Rev could top.

"Well, what do you plan to do?" Ace further questioned.

"I'm going to hack into the wormhole network – which, trust me, isn't easy to do," he replied, still typing, "then I can open up a new mini-circuit wormhole system and make it do whatever I want. And the _plan _is –" Tech continued, with a tone of excitement in his voice, "to make a wormhole appear right outside this building. The wormhole will work as a vacuum to suck up all flying objects in the air – AKA, the villains – and pretty much send them away.

"Now, here's where it gets _really_ neat. I'm setting it up so each object that gets caught in the wormhole gets purged out in a different location. And let me just emphasize right now that these locations won't be anywhere _near_ each other. No, sir, I'm programming it so that each location opens up absolutely no less than five hundred million light-years away from here. _That_ is a long way away. And each location could open up _anywhere_ beyond that distance."

"Wow," Ace said, "I'm impressed as usual, Tech. And this distance…"

"Will undoubtedly unsure that none of those flying hooligans out there ever make it back to Acmetropolis. It's simply physically impossible." Tech finished.

"Sounds good," Ace closed. Silence then befell the group. It was now that they realized how _fast_ everything was happening. It was merely a _day_ ago when Shannon was still missing. Now she was – hopefully – still in the security room a few floors below. Tension filled the room once again. Even Duck was quiet now, as he came to realize, although he didn't know exactly what was going on, the situation was very serious. Rev and Ace now stood by Tech's side, watching him work his hacking magic. The rapid-fire click-clack of the keyboard was the only sound any of them ever heard for what seemed like hours. Then, with a final confident strike of the enter key, Tech crossed his arms triumphantly.

"The wormhole will open up in five minutes approximately 150 yards southwest of this very room. I indicated the coordinates very precisely."

"That's great Tech, but, 150 meters? Is that a little close?" Ace asked worriedly.

"Oh, no need to worry about that, Ace. Wormholes are very localized in their targets. The tower's safe, and so is everything on the ground."

"Uh…" Rev interjected. "I really really hate to bring this up at a moment like this I mean I know you worked really hard on what you just did Tech but wouldn't that mean all of those super villains out there would have to be packed into one space in order for this to work?"

Tech's ears drooped. "Crap. Let me get the surveillance cameras up." Tech said hurriedly, and got a few pictures up on the screens of the outside of the building. Sure enough, the twenty or so villains, some still wounded from previous battles, were pretty scattered on all sides of the tower.

"Eh," Ace said, "think you can set up any more wormholes, Tech?"

"Not easily, chief. In, fact I don't think I could set up so many opening in one-"

Tech's answer was cut off by precipitant roar of an engine from outside the balcony opening. All six team members had a good view of the clearing – and the sight they saw was unmistakable. Vincent was about 30 yards from the tower, riding some sort of airborne moped, probably of his brother's design.

He did not look pleased. In fact, he seemed rather distraught. He seemed to be eyeing the rest of the villains furiously. Distantly, the team could here him shout.

"You still haven't gotten even _one_ of them? Really? Twenty against six isn't good enough? Do these shields really hinder any effort to destroy them at all? Fine, you know what? Fuck it. The first one of you lot who kills one of them, just _one _of them, gets my brother's entire work desk. It's likely worth millions, maybe billions, and beyond that, it's extremely powerful. You can do nearly anything with it. I don't even care anymore. I don't want power or wealth. You can have it, I'll wrap it in a nice box for you, even, - just kill _one_ of them, goddamn it."

The engine of Vincent's moped flared up again. Vincent took off and slowly disappeared over the fading horizon.

"And there's the icing on the cake," Lexi said sadly.

Ace sighed. "How much longer, Tech?"

"Three and a half minutes now," Tech replied.

"Are you _sure_ you can't just set up a bunch of wormholes?"

"Even if I could do it within an ample amount of time, chief, I don't think those guys out there would fall for the same trick more than once. They'd undoubtedly be weary after that."

The hopeful mood the room once held was completely destroyed. Everything seemed hopeless. If they were to go outside and simply fight them, they'd be destroyed. If they sat in here, protected by shield forever, either the villains would eventually break through the security members or they'd go on to terrorize the city. There weren't any viable options. The Loonatics glanced at each other in silence, as if hoping to find answers in each others' eyes. None came.

"Well, team," Ace spoke finally, "I really don't know what's going to happen here. You've all done good. Not just tonight, but for as long as we've been a team. Whatever ends up happening, we did the best we possibly could. Not just for us, but for Acmetropolis. There's no reason to beat ourselves up."

The others nodded slowly. However, a fire lit up in Rev's eyes.

How many times had he been told to stay back at Headquarters while most or the rest of the team went out to fight their battles? How many times had his lack of any real offensive powers prevented him from doing all that he wished to do? How many times had he simply had to sit aside and watch the rest of the team finish all the battles? If anyone thought he was simply going to sit aside once again and watch their world come tumbling down, they had another thing coming.

He wasn't going to let it all fall apart.

"One minute left," Tech said glumly, staring out of the balcony.

Another resounding boom hit the side of the building once again.

"Deactivate the shields Tech," Rev said with utmost determination.

"What, are you crazy? We can't-"

"Just for a second Tech deactivate the shield."

"Rev, why would you-"

"Trust me Tech I know what I'm doing." Rev stared at Tech with such resoluteness the coyote had never seen before. He couldn't deny him now. He had a plan, and he was sure it'd work.

Tech punched a few keys at the keyboard, and the green film barring the balcony's opening vanished. "Hurry," Tech said, and Rev flew off out of the laboratory and into the night.

Rev looked behind him and saw that the shield had regenerated almost immediately. But that didn't matter to him now.

"Hey super freaks! Not your best night is it well here's a nice roadrunner ripe for the catching but you'll have to act fast because no one's ever really had that much luck catching a roadrunner before meep meep!" Rev shouted as loud as he could, and sure enough, he caught the attention of every single villain in the sky.

Then the race was on.

Fantastic colors flashed all around them – presumably weapons or special powers from the perpetrators. Those who didn't use weapons simply leapt at him, all to no avail. Rev darted in and out so rapidly that he was practically untraceable.

And, boy, was he having fun.

Quickly, Rev estimated the location 150 yards southwest of Tech's laboratory; his GPS powers certainly helped in this matter. Once he had pinpointed the exact location, Rev flew in circles around the future opening, slowly but surely drawing everyone in. All of the villains were ravenous for a fresh kill, of course, being promised a work desk that would be extremely useful in their malevolent endeavors. Within seconds, all twenty were within a good fifteen-yard radius of the opening.

It was a matter of seconds now.

"Well I want to thank you guys for nice little game of tag tonight," Rev spoke, still darting in and out to dodge incoming attacks. "But I'm afraid it's time for you to leave so don't forget to write!"

As if on cue, the air around them became distorted in disturbed. Hurricane-force winds began to circle the area. It was invisible at first, but then it adopted a yellowish green color. Everyone looked up. This 'wind' extended into the sky as far as they could see. They slowly felt themselves being pulled up, and then faster, then even faster until there was nothing left to see.

And then, silence.

There seemed to be no evidence of what had just happened.

No longer did any malicious spirits plague the skies.

And no altruistic spirit was left behind, either.

He had gone with them.


	22. And Then There Was Silence

The Fragile

The Fragile

Chapter 22: …And Then There Was Silence

Naturally, the rest of the team had watched the entire scene go down. The initial cheers that emanated from the laboratory were nearly deafening. In an instant, their crisis was completely averted. Everything would go back to normal. And then the horrible realization dawned upon them all.

"Where's Rev?"

Lexi had been the first to notice. And as soon as she stated her observation, the triumphant mood withered away as quickly as it had arrived.

"Well," Ace said, "he's a pretty fast guy. Don't ya think he could have flew out of there in time?"

"Grblbbl yeah," Slam nodded.

"Oh, we're all worrying about nothing," Duck said confidently, "in a few seconds, Blather Beak will be back telling us every little detail of that adventure."

"I guess so," Lexi said, still anxious.

Tech, however, merely looked down and shook his head.

"What's up, Tech?" Ace asked.

Tech sighed and straightened up. "He was right in the middle of the event horizon when it formed. Right in the fucking middle."

The team never heard Tech swear to such a dramatic extent before. They became tense; such wording had a tone only a serious situation could merit.

"What's that mean, Tech?" Lexi asked, shaking.

"It means that… Look, when you're in the event horizon, there's no turning back. It doesn't matter how fast, strong or powerful you are. You're trapped." Tech walked hastily across the room and sat down in the nearest chair, with his head slumped down.

Lexi looked like she had just taken a blow to the head. "…So, that means he's…"

"Gone," Tech said, "out the window, all done, see you later."

Silence enveloped the room for a few treacherous seconds. Ace finally broke the silence.

"Well, there's gotta be some way we can get him back! I mean, he's not dead; he's just somewhere else. We can do a search!"

Tech chuckled cynically, not averted his glare from the table before him. "Five hundred billion light-years? At the very _least?_ You've gotta be kidding. That's physically impossible."

"Well," Ace argued, "can't you track where those wormholes went, or something? We can set up another wormhole to take us to wherever he is, and then you can set up a wormhole there in advance to take us back, or something-"

"Yeah, couple of problems with that chief. First off, as I said before, it's extraordinarily difficult to make a wormhole appear in the same place in such a short amount of time. Second, even if I could, it's impossible to track where wormholes go when you randomize their locations. So unless you propose searching the entire universe outside of a 500 billion light-year radius, we're out of luck."

"Why are you so convinced that we shouldn't do _anything? _He's _your_ best buddy, after all!" Duck interjected angrily.

Tech was rather taken aback at Duck's confrontation but nonetheless he remained adamant, head still down. "Because, sometimes… Sometimes you just have to eat your losses. There's no use starting some grand rescue mission built on false hope. That'd just make everything worse in the end." Tech looked up, now fiery. "So just give it a rest. I won't hear any more of it!" Tech slammed his fist on the desk.

From there on, there was only silence. They wanted to contradict Tech, wanted to say he was wrong, say he was being ridiculous. But what could they possibly say?

"No," Tech continued abruptly, "we just have to come to grips with the fact that…" Tech stopped, his eyes suddenly shut tightly. He trembled slightly, then stood up, fixing his composure. "Shannon should still be in the security room," he said unnaturally casually, "I might as well break the news to her and… yeah…" On that note, Tech positively stormed out of the room and did all he could to slam the sliding doors behind him.

"Wow," Ace said slowly, "I've never seen Tech so messed up like that."

"Well, can you really blame him, Ace?" Lexi said, overcome with emotion, "I mean he just lost someone he really, really cares about. We all did, really, but probably not quite as much as him. I mean, how much time did they spend together? Did Tech ever spend that much time with anyone else?"

The remaining three didn't know quite what to say to Lexi. Ace gave it a shot. "No, I guess not. But the way he just accepted his loss like that, that was just…"

"Well when you lose someone that close, you get all screwed up and start thinking and doing things that you thought you'd never do! Trust me, I know; it also happened to me briefly not a half hour ago!"

The silence that ensued was absolutely piercing this time. Ace looked to Slam and vice versa. Duck shot a look straight at Lexi. Lexi looked down, abashed.

Ace cleared his throat. "Well, there's a lot of extra work that comes with this," Ace said awkwardly, "tell the city council the situation is under control and that we may have lost a hero. Call Rev's parents… There's a lot of stuff to do."

Slam nodded sullenly. In a way, Slam looked the saddest of them all – scarred in such a way that it appeared he would never be quite the same again. Many had idly wondered how Slam would respond to situation – their questions were undoubtedly answered. Without saying a word to anyone, Slam slowly made his way out of the room, whimpering slightly.

Ace then sighed and followed suit, presumably going to his office to work on the tasks he listed. But who knew?

Duck and Lexi remained. Alone. Duck still gazed at Lexi. After a few moments, Lexi finally looked up.

"Do you really not remember what you did?" she asked.

Duck shook his head. For once, he was at a loss for words.

"Well, it had to do with your… your temporary passing. And, well, it told me everything." A silent tear ran down Lexi's cheek, yet she gave a small smile.

"What do you mean?" Duck spoke quietly, a little taken aback at Lexi's behavior.

Lexi said nothing. She walked slowly to Duck, put her hands on his shoulders, and gave him a supple kiss on the cheek.

"That's what I mean," she whispered.

Duck was positively stunned, but not unsatisfied.

Lexi sighed once more sniffed and left the room just as Ace and Slam had. Duck, seeing no use in staying, departed for his room as well, feeling as though he was swimming through the air.

Tech hastily punched in the combination for the locking doors to the security room and on his command, they hissed open. Sure enough, he found Shannon inside, asleep at a desk.

Tech entered the room and shook Shannon's shoulder.

Shannon looked up groggily, and jolted awake at the sight of Tech and stood up.

"Is it all over? What happened? Did you get Duck back?" she asked rampantly.

"Yeah, we got Duck back," Tech said, "everything's under control."

"What happened, exactly?"

"No time to explain," Tech replied curtly.

Shannon shuffled her feet for a moment. "Tech?"

"What?"

"I… I was just thinking over some things, and I… Oh Tech, I was such a bitch! How could I have possibly dumped Rev like that, as soon as I escaped? Of course it wasn't his fault I was captured! It never was and never will be! And he's such a sweet, sweet guy too and he has such a good heart. How could I do that to him?! I don't deserve him. He deserves better. But God, I want him back so badly."

Tech had not expected this outburst. Nevertheless, he was unmoved by it.

"Well, we don't get what we want. And that's life." Tech seemed extremely irritated.

"Whoa, I'm sorry if I offended you or something," Shannon asked, backing of slightly. She being a roadrunner did not want to be too close to an angry coyote. "You really think, though – and if not, that's fine – that there's no chance?"

"No, there's not," Tech snapped, "and I'll tell you why. In an effort to save all of us, which worked by the way, Rev sacrificed himself. So he's gone."

"… What?"

"Do I need to spell it out for you? He's not here anymore. He can't see me, he can't see you, he can't see any of us and none of us can see him."

Unable to control himself, Tech sprinted at the table and kicked it over with utmost fury.

Shannon was white with a combination of horror and shock.

"The exit's right there, you're free to go." Tech said, panting in the aftermath of his outburst.

Shannon couldn't move. She seemed paralyzed.

"I said go," Tech repeated.

The three words jolted Shannon back to reality. Without a moment to lose, she shuffled out of the room.

Tech sighed remorsefully, hating himself. Had he become a monster? He picked up the desk, put it back in its original position and without thinking, exited the room.

He made his way back to living quarters, made a B line for his laboratory, which was now vacant. He hastily disengaged the shield, which was still on, and made his way out into the balcony.

The cool night breeze whipped about his face immediately. It was amazing. There seemed to be no evidence of anything happening that night. The only clue that anything had occurred was presented by the fact that he stood alone.

The stars in the night sky were very faded by the luminous city. Nevertheless, a few bold, determined stars still shined through. Stars with an unstoppable will. They would hang in the night sky for what would seem like all eternity, providing the universe with their own protection.

Tech looked back down to earth, sighing hopelessly. Already it was upon him. Every single thing reminded the coyote of him – the streets below, the buildings towering above. He wasn't even quite sure why.

Tech extended his left arm out beside him. A mere few hours ago he would have felt ruffled top-feathers, a beak, or a lyrca suit. Now, only air met his fingertips. And only air would ever meet his fingertips.

It was quite astounding how much truth there was the phrase 'you never know what you had until it's gone'. All that was left were the memories of what was, and even more painful, what could have been. What could have been? He'd never know now. Each of his memories –however fond or cheerful - was a dagger, stabbing at the very core of the common, wishful belief that the innocent and good-hearted flourish forever.

He was not technically dead. Or at least not necessarily. He still lived on somewhere, incomprehensible miles above. But how could be happy there? Alone in a dark universe… it was almost worse than death.

From the balcony, Tech could see the Acme Institute. However much he loathed his attendance there, he owed so much to it. Not just for the knowledge he attained but also for the companionship it made, years ago, uniting two natural enemies as one. It was the place where the wave finally broke. But with tonight's events, the wave was receding back.

But Tech was helpless to do anything about it now. The tides must flow, as the moon demands them.

It was kind of like when Tech broke a vase when he was little. No matter how much he pouted, he could do nothing to fix the vase; all he could do was clean up his mess.

Well, the pieces lie shattered now. And all he could do was pick up the pieces.

Before departing back inside, Tech took one last gaze into the sky. His eyes watered.

"You did good," he whispered proudly.

_When the silence beckons,_

_And the day draws to a close,_

_When the light of your life sighs,_

_And love dies in your eyes,_

_Only then will I realize_

_What you meant to me._


	23. So Long, Lonesome

The Fragile

The Fragile

Chapter 23: So Long, Lonesome

Days slowly dragged past. Everything seemed so much slower. The reason for this phenomenon, of course, was unmistakable.

It was hard for everyone to come to the realization that Rev couldn't come back. Many ideas for rescue plans were suggested, but almost all of them were simply rehashed versions of other old, impossible plans. But giving up the ghost was not easy. Hanging on to the possibility of the roadrunner's return was simply the most convenient way of preventing reality from dawning on them. However, they eventually had to come to terms with fact that it was physically impossible for Rev to return, being sent so far away. The knowledge loomed over the team like an oppressive black cloud.

Tech seemed to be hit hardest by the storm. He withdrew to his laboratory almost all hours of the day and, even stranger, got little done. It seemed like every device around him was a subtle reminder of Rev. He frequented the lab quite often, after all, especially during the final days. But for some reason, Tech didn't want to be anywhere else.

The events of that night did not go unnoticed by the world beyond the laboratory walls. Ace had informed the city council of everything after it happened, up to and including Rev's sacrificial departure. Naturally, his loss became the media's gain. Stations and newspapers headlined the fallen Loonatic, the "speedy bird", the "enthusiastic 'tic". Rev Runner – the revered hero who sacrificed himself for the benefit of us all. He enjoyed this type of food, that type of music, and did all of this in his free time. He will truly be remembered forever. Audiences everywhere tuned into to mourn his loss for five minutes or so, then went back to discussing their plans for later on that night, tomorrow, or the next thirty years. Plans that Rev could never be a part of now.

Tech in particular was disgusted by these facts, sure, but in a way he envied them all. They didn't have to care. They weren't being forced to care. They just went on about their business. There was nothing stopping them, after all. Tech, meanwhile, was stuck thinking about the whole matter, then trying to keep his mind off the situation, and finally being reminded of it all over again. It was a hopeless cycle.

A memorial service was planned for Rev the next day. The team as a whole thought the media coverage of Rev's departure didn't do him justice, so they only hoped that the service would finally offer the best closure their could possibly be. Still, none of them could be too enthusiastic about it. Only Duck and Lexi still seemed somewhat normal – as to why that was, the rest of the team wasn't quite sure.

Tech, meanwhile, was a complete and total recluse. He shut himself inside his lab all day – barely even coming out for eating – all while getting nothing done. And as time went on, he only seemed to grow more miserable. It came to a point where he cut off all conversation from the rest of the team.

Now Ace finally decided he should do something about it.

Ace quietly knocked on the door to Tech's lab. No answer.

"Tech, it's Ace, can I have a quick word?"

Still no answer.

"Come on, pal, you can't stay in there forever. I promise I won't talk about what they've been saying on TV."

A few seconds passed and the door finally slid silently open. Tech wordlessly invited Tech in, and both walked towards the nearest desk and sat down.

On desk stood a single metal wire bent into a curly-Q. Ace snickered jokingly at the object.

"So this is what you've been working on for the past few days? No wonder you've been so hard to reach."

Tech merely turned away.

Ace sighed. "Look Tech, you've just been through a really huge loss. We all know that, because we all have too. I know it must really hurt right now-"

"Oh, do you?" Tech shot back, standing up, "Let me ask you something, Ace, how many good friends do you have? On second thought… don't answer that." Tech sat back down.

"Message received, Tech," Ace said sadly. "But let me ask you this. Would Rev had done what he did to have you mope around like this?"

Tech stood straight back up and opened his mouth to say something, paused, and then sat back down sighing. He knew Ace had a point.

"I thought so. Now just one more follow up question for ya." Ace paused, and then spoke more quietly, "what _would _he have wanted you to do?"

On that note, Ace silently got up and left the laboratory, leaving Tech to his own mulling. Of course, Tech knew exactly what Rev wanted.

_The Loonatics had just finished up a practice simulation, which was ultimately a success due to the efforts of everyone except Tech. Tech, of course, merely tested out a new shield, and sat through the whole simulation eating a sandwich._

_Ace, Lexi, Slam and Duck had gone out about their business, leaving Rev and Tech alone. That was fine – this pairing was quite typical._

_Rev, of course, was a train wreck. He was fixing to ask out a girl he liked, Shannon, and was naturally horrifically jittery._

_Tech put a hand on Rev's shoulder. "Look, she's not going to reject you. You get along really well, right? And besides, what's to reject? You're a really sweet guy who would give the shirt off your own back, you're always loyal to your friends, and above all, you're just a cheerful person to be around."_

"_Heh heh kind of sounds like you want to ask me out Tech," Rev jested. "Okay fine I'll do it. Tonight even!"_

"_Sounds like a plan," Tech said smiling, "well, good luck to you, I'm off."_

"_You know, Tech," Rev interrupted, "a little relationship wouldn't be the worst thing for you either."_

"_I told you," Tech sighed, "it's just not for me. The only girl I've ever gone out with ended up being a short, evil, bloated-headed super villain who has tried to kill me more than once."_

"_Pfft don't let one bad breakup get you down."_

"_That wasn't merely a 'bad breakup', Rev. And I just don't feel I could connect with someone that intimately. Science is my girlfriend."_

_Rev rolled his eyes, as he had heard that line more than once. "Well whatever my assertion still stands and I think you'll reconsider your position some day."_

"_We'll see," said Tech dully._

"_Well okay I'm off I'm really going to do it Tech oh man am I nervous but if you really think it will go well I have no reason not to do it!"_

"_It will go well. Now just go get her."_

_And get her he did._

_Some weeks later, the pair once again found themselves alone. _

_Tech didn't know Rev had any knowledge of the balcony he had built in his lab, despite all of the time he spent in there. Nonetheless, here they were, looking out over the city like the guardians they were. Tech looked at the roadrunner beside him and sighed. He couldn't stand seeing him so down. There was something in the eyes that nearly killed him. Nonetheless, Tech tried to break the ice._

_"So," the coyote began, "you found about my balcony."_

_This caused Rev's head to turn. "Yeah," he replied, smiling slightly, "actually I found out about it a few months ago."_

_Well, okay. But that wasn't going anywhere. Tech had to get to the heart of the matter. After some questioning, he finally found out the source of the problem._

"_Shannon pretty much broke it off with me," Rev said sadly, "she said that we can still be friends and stuff, but that she doesn't feel safe in a relationship where she could get hurt again."_

_Tech was at a loss for words. Then Rev asked a question that nearly killed him._

"_Tech, am I being selfish in wanting her back?"_

_How could someone lead someone as pure of heart as Rev into asking a question like that? Driven suddenly by anger, the coyote went off on what amounted to a short rant. Rev seemed somewhat comforted by it, actually, but some sadness still remained._

"_Now I can see why you're so reluctant to get in a relationship, Tech," Rev said with a sad smile._

_Tech would have loved to hear these words some weeks ago. But now they nearly broke his heart._

"_Now, I'm not sure about that," Tech said, "I think I was a little premature in saying that. I think the main reason why I'm so disinclined to the prospect of a relationship is because I simply can't seriously see myself being in one," Tech admitted. He couldn't believe he was telling someone this. He had never trusted anyone enough before. _

_Rev seemed to almost forget about his own problems and focus now on Tech._

"_Aw come on Tech you're a very eligible bachelor. I mean you're smart you're probably handsome you're funny when you want to be and not to mention you're very fuzzy."_

_Tech laughed slightly. "And obviously my level of fuzziness accounts for everything." Tech sighed. "I don't know, I guess when I just think of being involved with someone, there's this indisputable 'not for you!' message that rears it's ugly head in the back of my mind."_

"_Well if you really feel that way I don't think I can change your mind on that. But, Tech, sometimes not all 'relationships' have to be romantic, you know? You could have a perfectly good platonic relationship with someone. Anyone, even! Whether it be a neighbor a classmate a child a senior citizen a bank teller if you really connect with them and feel happy around them even if it's not romantic in the slightest it can be just as good, if not better!"_

_Tech analyzed these words for a bit. Was Rev secretly hinting at their own relationship? It would have been fitting. "Yes," he said slowly, "I suppose you're right."_

Rev had always been right.

He knew exactly what he was supposed to do.

The following afternoon, the Loonatics were getting prepared for the ceremony. As per tradition, they dressed mostly in black and white. The team silently looked over the itinerary for the day in the middle of the Living Quarters. Well, all except one.

"Where's Tech, anyway?" Lexi suddenly asked.

"I dunno," Ace shrugged, "he just told me he had to go somewhere real quick and he'd meet us there."

"Poor guy," Lexi commented, now putting on her shoes, "I'm wondering if he'll really show up at all. He hasn't been taking too kindly to all the coverage of Rev lately."

"Well, none of us have been satisfied," Ace nodded, "but, yeah, he was especially broken up about it. He actually seemed fairly optimistic the last time I saw him, though."

"Hmmm…" Slam said, scratching his chin.

Lexi giggled. "I think Slam might know what's going on."

"Are you kiddin'? He's probably just wondering what's on the after-service menu," Duck interjecting, gesturing towards Slam.

Slam growled and lightly smack Duck upside the head.

"Hey! I was just joking around! You know I love you, buddy!" Duck exclaimed.

Ace and Lexi giggled as the former started to step towards the elevator.

"Are you guys ready to go?" their leader asked.

Slam moved over to the elevator to join Ace. Duck and Lexi, however, remained behind.

"You two can go down right now," Lexi said, "I have to talk to Duck about something really quick."

"Suit yourself," Ace replied. He and Slam stepped into the avatar and waved goodbye to them as the doors started to closed.

Now alone, Lexi faced Duck.

"So when do you think we should tell them?" Duck started.

"Give it a couple of more weeks," Lexi said smiling, "with Rev gone, the whole team's going through a lot right now. If we spring the news on them now that we're going out, I think their brains might explode."

"Heh, especially Ace's," Duck agreed.

"Oh well, it's fun to keep a secret," said Lexi, nudging Duck, "unless you go blabbering to everyone as usual."

"Feh! Would I ever let you down?"

"You have before."

"Well then, madam, I will make a conscious effort not to! In fact, I promise to reform my ways! You see, Lex, moments before my death, I saw my life flash before my eyes-"

"You don't even remember it!"

"Nevertheless," Duck continued, "I have looked into my past and have seen ugliness! Oh no, no more of that! I shall no longer live to grovel and self-gratification, spend indeterminabable amounts of times looking at myself in the mirror or let everyone know of their inferiority! No, Lexi, I'm a changed man."

"We'll see," Lexi giggled, "but even if you don't change, you know, that might be cool with me. Maybe."

"You know, you're not so perfect yourself, missy."

"And that's what makes us so great," Lexi said, granting Duck a kiss on the bill. "And now I think it's time to meet up with the others."

"Sounds fair," Duck said, walking towards the elevator, "but you know something?"

"What?"

"One day, I'm going to find out how I died."

"Oh, that might happen sooner than you think. And by the way," Lexi adopted a more serious tone.

"Yes?"

"I know why you were at the orphanage that night," Lexi spoke softly, "I'm really sorry you couldn't find your parents."

Duck looked at Lexi in surprise. How could she have known? Duck didn't really know what to say to this, so he merely nodded. Lexi looked back at him with a tone of lament in her eyes.

"Well," Duck said after a few seconds of silence, "shall we?"

Lexi regained her composure and smiled, "certainly."

Lexi joined Duck in the elevator, holding hands for the time they could have privacy, and descended.

The stage was set directly in front of city hall, the same location the Loonatics had received medals of honor for service before. It was quite a grand set-up – the stage was surrounded by bright red torches, burning ferociously, while pictures and poses of Rev glared down at the crowds from a gigantic backdrop behind the stage. One the stage was a single podium and three chairs set to the side. Occupying these chairs were Rev's parents and his brother Rip. Ma Runner in particularly looked quite teary.

The entire congregation had just about arrived. The Loonatics sat up in the front row as special guests of honor. Well, all except one.

"I knew Tech wouldn't show up," Lexi commented, sighing.

"Well, I don't know how much you can blame him. All of this might have been too much for him," Ace said.

"Well, I know, but still, he should have come for his -"

"Sorry I'm late, guys."

Surprised, the four turned to face the coyote that had just arrived. They figured that even if Tech _did_ arrive, he would come just as vacant and somber as he had been. To the contrary, they were surprised to find him relatively chipper. It was also then that they noticed the bundle of blankets he was cradling in his arms.

"No problem, Tech," Ace said, "at least you've made it… what do you go there?"

"Guys," Tech said with repressed anticipation, "meet Laena."

Tech held out the blankets for everyone to see.

"Oh my God!" Lexi squawked.

Inside the bundle lay a sleeping baby roadrunner. Much like Rev, she had blue plumage and purple tail feathers and topknot. She looked so peaceful.

"Whoa! Tech, did you snap and steal someone's baby?" Duck asked.

"No," Tech said, "I just adopted her from the orphanage. She's mine. But let me tell you, it's not easy for a coyote to adopt a baby roadrunner. I swear, if my name wasn't Tech E. Coyote, they never would have let me."

The others, meanwhile, continued to gawk at the infant. Slam in particularly seemed delighted.

"Grrbblb may I?" Slam finally asked.

"Um, sure," Tech said nervously and handed Laena to Slam. Slam balanced the bundle in his arms and slowly rocked it. Much to everyone's surprise, he seemed to be quite natural at it. After a few moments soft coos emanated from the blankets. At this point, Slam handed her back to Tech.

"Thank you," he said.

"No problem," Tech replied, still surprised. He looked down at Laena, who was now staring back at him. "Well, she's awake now, but at least she's peaceful."

"She's beautiful, Tech," Lexi further commented.

"Yeah, she is. And it's a good thing she's peaceful, cuz the ceremony's about to start," Ace said.

"Oh, right," Tech exclaimed and he took his seat, still holding the baby.

The mayor of Acmetropolis walked out onto the stage. She was a rather stout, stocky woman but very determined in her job. She stepped behind the podium and lowered the microphone.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We all know why we're here. As you very well know, Acmetropolis is kept under the watchful eye by the team known as The Loonatics. Comprised of Ace Bunny, their leader, Lexi Bunny, Danger Duck, Slamacus Tasmanian, Tech E. Coyote, and formerly Rev Runner. And as you all know, we are here today to celebrate the life and the triumphs of Rev Runner.

If there was ever a soul on this planet you could always trust it was Rev Runner. His ambition was nearly as big as his heart. Always eager to please, he would do nearly anything to make sure those around him were as comfortable and happy as possible. But at the same time he was ruthless in the face of enemies. Although he had little offensive power in battle, he would always make sure to do everything he possibly could to ensure a victory for the good guys. Never a slacker, Rev could always be depended on.

Rev showed his inner strength and grace in his final battle with the Loonatics. As you all know, The Loonatics were recently under siege by a group of twenty super villains, and headed by on Mr. Vincent Cavanagh, who is still in pursuit as we speak. For a short while, so I'm told, everything seemed helpless for the Loonatics and for the city. That is, until Rev swooped into action and lured every single one of the super villains into a wormhole set up by Mr. Coyote all by himself. To run fearlessly into the face of danger as he did shows an incredible amount of bravery and perseverance.

Unfortunately, in luring the perpetrators into the wormhole, he sacrificed himself and became trapped in the wormhole himself. Now he remains hundreds of billions of light years away into the sky, solitary in the vast expanse of the universe. Though he may never step foot upon this planet again, we will always feel his presence here, through the well being of our city and the goodness of our hearts.

And such is the legacy of Mr. Rev Runner. He was always willing to prove himself to those he loved, and now none of us can deny the ability and strength he's always had. No, we will never forget Rev, or his inner beauty. We should look upon him as an example of what we should all strive to be – tough, kind-hearted, brave, and most of all, a child at heart.

Thus, without further ado, I bestow the Medal of Honor in Rev Runner's name to his loving family."

Applause filled the square as the family of three roadrunners stood up to retrieve the medal. Ma Runner _was_ crying now, and the two males seemed a bit teary as well. Pa Runner shook hands with the mayor, took the medal, and climbed off stage with the rest of his family to sit with the rest of the audience.

"And, additionally, I actually have one more medal to give," the mayor continued.

Surprised, the audience and the Loonatics sat up straighter.

"As we know, self-sacrifice is one of the key traits of a hero, as we have seen through Rev Runner. And now it is my pleasure to say that Rev Runner was not the only hero on that fateful night. When a teammate was in trouble, helplessly surrounded by perpetrators, one individual immediately stepped into action and gave his life to preserve her own. Thankfully, the brilliant Mr. Coyote and Rev Runner himself created a device that is equipped with the ability to bring deceased individuals backed to life, and thus, this heroic individual was saved. Nevertheless, one cannot ignore the grand sacrifice this hero imposed. Therefore, it is only just for me to give a second Medal of Honor to this hero, Mr. Danger Duck."

Duck stared wide-eyed, stunned as the audience behind him roared with applause. Beside him, Lexi pinched his cheek. "I put in a good word for ya."

Lexi pushed Duck out of his seat. Duck initially stumbled up to the podium, but then regained his composure as soon as he received the medal. Danger Duck was back.

Duck took the microphone. "Thank you, thank you one in all. You know, I've always considered Rev an idol of mine, and I liked to think he had a little to do with this. But it really all started back when I was a child. You see, back when I was six, I-"

The mayor pulled the microphone away. "Thank you again, Danger Duck. We're all proud of you." She smiled, used to Duck's ways.

Sheepishly but with satisfaction, Duck got off the stage and sat back down next to Lexi.

"And with those words," the mayor spoke, "let the ceremony begin."

As if on command, fireworks immediately illuminated the sky and 3 jet engines roared overhead. The entire audience gaped at the spectacular display of lights and colors that filled their eyes.

Tech, however, averted his eyes from the sky. Quietly, he imaged Rev sitting next to him, poking fun at how the city council goes overboard with everything, but nonetheless being amazed by the fireworks just as any child would.

Tech looked down into Laena's eyes. She softly cooed, watching the display in the sky. In her eyes Tech found something that he thought he'd never see again – hope.


	24. Seven Years

The Fragile

Epilogue

Chapter 24: Seven Years

_Seven years - you assured me that I'd be fine if I complied. I only pushed the way off to fight you and I'm sorry, but I'm not sure. Getting this off my chest, the story ends._

And thus the revered hero continued his life on Acmetropolis through another.

Everything changed after the fateful memorial service day, as would be expected. Tech was now the first parent of the Loonatics. As such, accommodations were made. In future missions, Ace made sure that Tech always got the least intensive assignment. After all, Laena was the coyote's top priority now, and she should have been treated as such. And she was.

A few weeks into the adoption, Rev's old room was turned into a nursery for Laena. Tech objected to the notion at first but ultimately decided that Rev would have been delighted to give up his room for such a darling new life. It was Tech's own way of continuing his legacy, after all.

Laena brought out a side in Tech that none of the others had seen before, except in dealing with his 'toys' - pure, unadulterated affection. If anyone had any doubts that Tech could never spread his affinity for machinery to sentient beings, they were put to rest. Tech spent hours at a day in the nursery when he could, and would otherwise carry the roadrunner around with him everywhere. It was as if she was his own biological child, but in a way, she was even more.

Of course, Tech knew fully well that she couldn't reside in the tower for the whole of her childhood. Thus, the coyote started one final project before going on hiatus – genetic recreation of the Loonatics' powers. Neither Tech nor anyone else before did heavy research on the subject since it was potentially dangerous business in the wrong hands. But now Tech saw the necessity of it. The Loonatics, already shorthanded without Rev, would be even more shorthanded without Tech. Sometimes replacements were needed.

Tech used to scanner of the regenerator to enter his own DNA information into the database, and then using various biological journals and databases obtain a template DNA profile of a normal anthropomorphic coyote. Of course, manually comparing each profile would be nearly impossible, given the sheer enormity of genetic information presented, so Tech quickly coded a program to locate where the information was dissimilar. Thankfully, the answer lied in the very first chromosome. The chromatin was formed in such a way that it altered the active DNA to perform extremely abnormal tasks – the origination of their powers. The radiation must have caused some sort of mutation to occur in this specific spot, which evidently was most susceptible to alteration. Quickly, Tech did a DNA comparison of Rev's scan and a normal roadrunner's, then Duck's scan and a normal duck's. The results were consistent – first chromosome, weird chromatin. Each chromatid was abnormal in a different way, of course, which would explain why they all had different powers. Interestingly enough, the DNA could be further altered to create all sorts of new powers -–but testing of this would be dangerous and mostly uncontrolled, so Tech put it off.

Nevertheless, Tech was soon able to recreate his powers with a little microbiology and tiny tools. From then on, it was a matter of being able to transfer the powers to a being without them – which was done, eventually, with a simple capsule. And the experiment was complete. All in all, it was pretty easy.

Tech officially announced his hiatus from the team as Laena approached the age of two. He would be back as soon as Laena was old enough to independently fend for herself. But in the mean time, he had a child to raise.

Tech also informed the team that he had created two pills that would grant the user powers – one for Tech's powers and one for Rev's powers (which he had thrown in for good measure).

"You could easily find someone to replace both Rev and I with them," Tech announced, "so long as you get them to the right people. Of course, keep those pills well protected in the mean time – those could be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. But anyway, you're all free to touch my 'toys' now. I probably won't be able to invent anything else until I come back, so make the most of the stuff we've got in the mean time."

And thus, the team said goodbye to Tech – a temporary farewell, anyway. Replacement trials were held for Tech and Rev in the mean time. The 'winners' were two humans – a bleach blonde man in his early 20's, who attained Tech's powers and redheaded girl in her late teens who inherited Rev's powers. It was almost surreal seeing humans a part of the team, but they seemed determined and loyal enough. And perhaps their integration would bestow upon the team a needed symbol of anthro-human unity.

Tech never made a huge effort to get to know the two of them, however – he had other things on his mind.

--

Laena was now seven years old. She lived a relatively normal childhood, considering she was a roadrunner adopted by a coyote. She and Tech lived in a nice, comfortable flat in the city. It was not overtly expansive, but comfortably spacious with all the furniture neatly arranged. It contained a kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large living room with a gigantic window looking out onto the Acmetropolis skyline. Right in the center of the view was the Loonatics' famous tower.

The two of them occasionally had visits with the team, of course, including the two replacement members, whose names were apparently Robert and Melissa. They were nice enough people – Melissa was particularly good with Laena – but they seemed a tad bit cocky with their new position. Hopefully Robert wouldn't have too much of a problem with resigning when the time came for Tech to rejoin.

But the moments Tech really lived for nowadays were when Laena would come home from her 2nd grade schooling. She seemed to be making a lot of friends – she had a few of them over at times – and she always brought home superb marks. Perhaps some of Tech's genius rubbed off on her. But more importantly, she was extremely friendly and sociable, if not a bit overtly talkative at times. Although the two were unrelated, Tech could see a lot of Rev in her.

On one particularly cozy April night, Tech sat in his armchair by the fireplace reading a scientific journal (he had never given up his love of technology). He had just put Laena to bed and – a joy she was – she could become quite exhausting. What Tech needed at this point was a little bit of relaxation time.

Then, of course, there was a knock at the door.

Tech sighed and put down his magazine. These visits were quite common – people wanting autographs. At first Tech was flattered that he had admirers, but now it was all just old.

"I'm coming," he spoke quietly.

'_Don't they know I have a child in bed right now?' _Tech muttered to himself as he opened the door.

Sure enough, a gawking fangirl. She was a rather geeky looking anthropomorphic fox, whose tail was wagging rapidly.

"I - I'm sorry, Mr. Coyote, but-but… you've j-just always been s-sort of a… h-hero of mine, and I heard you live here so I just wanted to stop by and say hi… c-could I have an autograph?" She stammered.

Tech already had a pen out. "Sure," he said, smiling, and hastily signed a piece of paper the girl was holding out. "And what's your name?"

"Oh! I'm Cassy, b-but you don't have to make it out to me if you don't want-"

"Already did," Tech said, poking the paper with a final period.

"Oh, wow, you're so nice! Thank you, sir!" Cassy shouted, and to Tech's amusement, she ran away before he could say goodbye.

Tech closed the door and went back to his armchair. _'Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em,' _Tech murmured to himself as he was about to take a seat. He stopped himself quickly – the seat was already occupied.

"Daddy, I couldn't sleep, and I heard some noise so I got out of bed," Laena said looking up at Tech.

"Well, that's no good," Tech said, "it's 9:32, well past your bedtime. Now, you have to be refreshed for school tomorrow morning for the spelling bee. Sleep works wonders."

"Do I really have to go to bed?" Laena asked with pleading eyes.

Though it was extremely tempting to concede, Tech had finally learned to resist the eyes. "Yep, sorry, sprout. Trust me, you'll thank yourself for it in the morning."

"Ookkayy," Laena said begrudgingly, "but before I do… can you tell me a story?"

"Another story? I don't know, I-"

"Please?" Laena hit Tech once again with the pleading eyes. This time, Tech had to give in.

"Okay, okay," Tech chuckled, "a story ye shall receive. Which one do you want this time?"

"Ooh! Ooh!" Laena bounced up and down excitedly, "tell me the one about Rev the roadrunner!"

"That one? I must have told you that one a hundred times-"

"I… uh… forgot a lot of it!" Laena clearly wasn't going to be dissuaded.

"Alright, then, the story of Rev the roadrunner."

"Goody!" Laena shouted and she propped herself comfortably and attentively in her seat.

Tech sat down in a chair adjacent from Laena's seat, and he began to tell his tale.

"Alright, as you should know, Rev started out as a normal, everyday roadrunner just like you. He had lots of friends and loved ones, was very bright, and simply loved life. But, of course, in his late teen years, he hit some hard times. He had to work for a low-paying, over-demanding boss who yelled at him a lot. Soon he found himself too busy to do any of the things he wanted or pursue his studies, and he didn't get into the college he wanted to go. For a while, things seemed pretty hopeless."

"But things got better, right?" Laena stated more than asked, grinning widely at the coyote.

Tech smiled. "You bet they did. A great meteor hit the planet, and Rev was very close to the site of the crater. But this meteor did strange things-"

"It made him go really really fast like this! Zooooom! And it also let him make maps of things in his head and fly!"

Tech laughed. "Well, if you can tell the story better than I can, then maybe I shouldn't."

"No! I mean, uh, the meteor made him uh eat lots of pizzas and become really, really fat, like this! Blargh!" Laena spread her arms out and puffed out her cheeks.

Tech chuckled. "No, that was Slam. Okay, so you need a reminder. Rev attained the power of super speed, the ability to locate anyone on a moment's notice and, yes, the ability to fly. He eventually joined a team with five other anthros who also had powers."

"And you were one of them, right daddy?"

"I sure was. And let me tell you, it was some stressful times. But we always had time for fun – especially Rev. Rev was just the kind of guy who you couldn't bring down – always determined, happy and friendly. He talked a lot – more than you even – and sometimes that annoyed people."

"I know what that's like!" Laena said somewhat proudly.

"Hehe, yes you do. But Rev was ten times as talkative! But when people saw past his fast beak, they really saw him for who he was. Just a kind, caring guy who would do anything for his friends.

"Now, Rev was the only one on the team who didn't really have any attacking powers. So he was forced to be on the sidelines a lot. He didn't want to upset his friends, so he always obeyed them, but secretly he always yearned to be a bigger part of the team. Eventually, something happened to Rev that had never happened before – he became depressed."

"Aw, poor Rev!" Laena said worriedly.

"Indeed, poor Rev. Things weren't going well for him. Someone he cared about deeply was kidnapped, and he began to be a little sloppy on the team, which didn't make the boss very happy. Then, of course, when the person he cared about came back, she immediately rejected him."

"Boo! Hiss!" Laena said angrily.

"But then, one night, a really evil man released twenty super villains onto Acmetropolis!"

"Oh no!" Laena shouted in horror.

"And it didn't look like they could be defeated. One of our team members actually died!"

"No, he couldn't have!" Laena interjected desperately.

"But he was eventually saved by Rev himself with a device he helped me make."

"Yay, you and Rev!" Laena cheered.

"But the super villains were still out there, and still undefeatable."

"But you set up a wormhole thing to take them all away, right? To make them all go whoosh?"

"That's right. But, sadly, it was very hard to get them all into one place when it happened."

"But that's where Rev the roadrunner saved the day!" Laena shouted enthusiastically.

"You bet, sprout. He finally decided that he wasn't going to sit on the sidelines anymore, and step up and save the day. Within a few seconds, he had them all lined up in just the spot he wanted while dodging gunfire and other bad stuff. And he succeeded! All the heroes were gone!"

"Yay!"

"But, sadly, in doing this, Rev sacrificed himself. He got sucked into the wormhole too."

"No!" Laena cried desperately.

"It's sad, but true. But now, the whole entire city of Acmetropolis is thankful for him. Without his sacrifice, the whole city might be under the regime of unstoppable super villains. He will always be remembered as one of the greatest hero's Acmetropolis has ever known. And that's how Rev, a normal roadrunner, went down in history."

"Yay!" Laena shouted, clapping her hands.

"And now, it's off to bed with you," Tech said playfully sternly.

Tech walked Laena to her room, helped her into bed and tucked her under the sheets. Flipping out the lights, he bid her goodnight, when once again she interjected.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, sprout?"

"Were is Rev now?"

Tech scratched his chin. "Somewhere far, far away. Where exactly, I'm not sure," Tech pondered what he was about to say. "But do you know what I like to think?"

"What?"

Just then, Tech heard another knock on the door from the living room. Yet another fangirl.

"I'll be out in a minute!" Tech shouted behind him, and then refocused on Laena.

"Well? What do you like to think?"

"I like to think that, well, he's sort of watching over us from the stars right outside your window. Just making sure we're okay. He still cares about all of us deeply."

Laena gazed dreamily out the window. "So he's kind of watching us from up there like our guardian angel or something?"

"If you would like to think of it that way, yes," Tech smiled.

"Daddy, do you think Rev'll watch over me and make sure I do okay at the spelling bee tomorrow?"

Tech chuckled once more. "He'll be rooting for you, sprout." Tech leaned down to give Laena a kiss on the forehead.

"Good night, daddy," Laena said sleepily.

"Good night," he whispered. He tiptoed out of the room and quietly shut the door.

"I'm coming," he said tiredly to the visitor in the hall as he walked to answer the door.

What waited behind the door was hardly another fangirl.


	25. Blood Brothers

The Fragile

Epilogue

Chapter 25: Blood Brothers

Tech gripped his hand on the knob and turned it like it was nothing. But as soon as he pulled the door open and revealed the visitor, his whole body froze as if in a catatonic state.

"Yeah I thought I heard your voice so that means that I did get the right address! Jeez let me tell you for the 28th century address directories sure are confusing!"

Tech still stood wide-eyed - practically paralyzed.

"Whoa is there anybody in there? I'd hate to think you've gone brain dead on me," the visitor said smiling, tapping Tech on the head with his fist. This seemed to jolt the coyote to life a little, but he was still speechless.

"You.. why are you – the wormhole – _how?"_

"Ah yes I imagine you're probably surprised to see me and frankly I didn't think I'd ever be here again either but hey I'm here you're here and everyone's happy!"

The coyote still looked utterly confused but his tail wagged like crazy, generating its own air current.

"Aww Tech I never saw you wag your tail like that before either you're happy to see me or you're trying to put out a fire somewhere back there because let me tell you that thing is wagging like mmph"

Much to the visitor's astonishment, Tech practically leapt out at him and drew him into a bone-crushing hug. The visitor was taken aback at this unexpected display of affection, but returned the hug after a few moments.

"Wow Tech… didn't know you had this in you… I missed you too but… please… I can't breathe!"

Tech let go as suddenly as he had started it. He brushed himself off and regained his composure. He looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Sorry," Tech said quietly, clearing his throat. "That… won't happen often."

"Ah maybe so Tech old pal but I never thought it'd happen at all so just admit that you missed me like crazy!"

The coyote held in a chuckle. "I don't need to answer that. I think I've already lost enough dignity in the last two minutes. But, Rev, how did you make it back?"

"Ah I knew that'd be one of the first questions you asked and it _was_ actually your first question so there we go actually I think I heard you ask it earlier when you were shell-shocked so it was _really_ one of the first mmph-"

The coyote clamped Rev's beak shut with his hand. "Now _that_ I've missed," Tech said, "I see you haven't lost your superspeed."

"Nope I didn't but you asked how I got back and I think I should answer that now," Rev said matter-of-factly, and straightened himself up as if to tell a story.

"Now okay remember a long time ago how you said you didn't know 'diddly' about wormhole technology?"

Tech scratched his chin. "Hmm, yes, actually, I do recall saying that."

"Well it turns out you still don't know diddly about it!" Rev exclaimed, jokingly punching Tech in the arm.

Tech looked confused. "Why? What happened?"

"Well I remember you saying you set the wormhole up to take everything it sucked in no less than 500 billion light years away from the epicenter each object or person in this case going somewhere else. But apparently something got screwed up and it actually transported everyone _no more _than _five_ light years away which is really nothing in terms of the vast expanse of the universe."

"Whoa," Tech said quietly.

"Yeah it was a pretty big difference and admittedly it took me a while to figure out I wasn't that far from Acmetropolis since my GPS can only read things so far. Well I had landed on this space station actually and it was full with a bunch of weird bug-eyed aliens who didn't speak any of our languages. Well let me tell you they thought I was fascinating actually maybe a little too fascinating they seemed to be monitoring every move I made. I think the only reason why they let me stay was so they could monitor me.

"But anyway after a few months of that I was really kinda bummed out because I missed everyone and life wasn't exactly peachy there so one day I tried to find out if there were other places I could escape to nearby so I did a search on nearby civilizations and wow there it was! Acmetropolis was actually listed as the nearest inhabited planet and it was only 4.2 light years away! I thought it was a mistake at first since I was confident I was billions of light years away but it slowly dawned on me that you very easily could screwed up no offense but wormhole technology is complicated as you said.

"Anyway so I found out all I could about where Acmetropolis was relative to where I was and I eh heh kinda sorta stole one of the ships off of that space station. It only fell 50 miles per hour short of the speed of light and I couldn't help it I wanted to get out of there fast! Oh I know it was wrong but I figured I'd get it back to them somehow but then I sorta crash landed the ship so there goes that. Thankfully I still have my flying powers huh? Well I don't know what I'm going to do about that and frankly I'm surprised they didn't try to follow me maybe they couldn't track me I don't know but the point is I'm here now and I'm ninety-seven percent sure no one followed me here."

"And I guess, in the end, that's what matters," Tech said kindly, nodding. "But wait, it's been about seven years, and you said the space station was on 4.2 light years away. What kept you?"

"Oh well as I said it took me a while to realize that I wasn't in fact a trillion light years away from everything and second the ship wasn't exactly packed with food so I kept having to divert away to the nearest space stations to find some food. They all wanted something in return of course and the ship had all these boxes of I don't know what but everyone on the space stations seemed to find them valuable so they gladly traded jeez I hope I didn't give a bunch of bad guys weapons or something oh Tech maybe this wasn't such a good idea!"

"Relax, Rev," Tech said smiling, "if there are any problems, I'm sure we can handle it."

"Oh and speaking of trouble," Rev began, grimacing, "when I was only transported that short distance away well that means all those villains aren't that far away either."

"Oh… oh yeah."

"And also I think most of them landed on various space stations too since wormholes automatically move towards places with some sort of life and from what I've heard from transmissions not many people are too happy about that."

"Wow, that's… not good."

"Yeah so if you see any trouble in the near time future that'd be why." Rev looked slightly more glum now.

"Yeah, I suppose it will…"

"But hey let's change the subject how's the team been going since I've been gone I was really surprised to find out you weren't on the team anymore why's that?"

Tech involuntarily smiled. "Oh, I've been kind of preoccupied."

"Ooh with what Tech with what?" Rev was bouncing between his two feet.

"Oh, just a little somebody who you'll probably meet very soon."

"Oh my gosh Tech don't tell me you found a girlfriend?"

Tech laughed. "No, not in the slightest, actually. But yeah, she's pretty special to me."

"And when can I meet this someone?" Rev's eyes met Tech's with a mixture of determination and excitement.

"How about tomorrow afternoon? There's a little coffee joint just on the other side of the street. We could meet you there, as long as you promise not to have Espresso."

"Heh heh I got you Tech sure it's a date or whatever it is it's established oh man it's going to be great catching up!"

"Yep, it is," Tech said almost dreamily. "You know, the whole city going to go nuts when they find out you're back. They had a memorial service for you with fireworks and everything."

"Oh did they haha the city council's always going over the top well it's a good thing I've been keeping a low profile because I just want to catch up with a few select people before the paparazzi invades my life and where better to start than with my best friend?"

"I'm… your best friend?"

"Sure you are Tech I mean one of the first things I thought about when I was up there was how much it sucked that I couldn't get to hang out with you anymore but hey here we are! Well anyway I was mostly stopping by to let you know of my existence I have to go over to the tower now to let the rest of the team know I'm back but hey I'm looking forward to tomorrow no espresso for me I promise see ya Tech!" And the roadrunner was gone within a blink of an eye.

"Hasn't changed a bit," Tech said to himself. As he went to shut the door, he turned around to see Laena up and at it once again.

"Daddy, I heard more noises. Who was that?"

"Oh," Tech said, smiling, thinking back at the days of the Acme Institute, "just some delivery boy who got the wrong address. Hey, sprout, after school, do you want to meet an old friend of mine?"

"Ooh that sounds fun!" Laena exclaimed triumphantly. "Who is it?"

"Someone I may have told you about a few times. You'll see. Now get back into that bed before this big ol' coyote has you as a midnight snack."

Laena looked at Tech blankly. "Daddy, you could barely touch an ant."

"Get to bed," Tech said authoritatively, repressing laughter.

Laena scooted off back to bed, and Tech moved towards the living room window, gazing out at the tower beyond. Everything was back together now, and Tech felt fuller than he ever had before. Everything, for the first time in his life, was right where it belonged.

The End.


End file.
